


look how well our woes rest together

by tigerlo



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, I think you'd call this an adventure fic?, but it's jillian/erin endgame the whole way through, its as tasteful and nongraphic as I could make it but it is there, theres a bit of yucky violence stuff in chapter 4 team, this might actually be a little bit scary?, this started as a bed-sharing fic and just escalated wildly out of control, with some actual ghost-busting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-05 22:03:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11022489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigerlo/pseuds/tigerlo
Summary: Erin, Holtz and the others get called away to an out of state bust, but what they discover opens a few doors from Erin's past that she'd rather were left closed.orA really long interpretation of the bed-sharing trope.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this started out as a little Erin/Jillian bed-sharing fic because I’m a sucker for that trope and somehow turned into a 35,000 word adventure fic, during which Erin and Jillian do in fact share a bed but also realise their feelings and fall a little in love, and Erin turns out to be the kick-ass hero of the piece. 
> 
> I really hope you all enjoy, this turned out to be such a fun piece and I’m so fond of it. I’ll try get the chapters up as quickly as I can but they’ll likely be a day or two apart - I’ll do my best though so please bear with me. There’s also some mentions of icky violence stuff further down the track - not to do with our fine women but another auxiliary character. I’ll put a warning in before the chapter but it’s not gratuitous, just necessary to explain the depth of the situation.
> 
> Beyond that though, this is just a good old fashioned adventure romp where Erin is amazing and Jillian is a smitten-kitten and everyone lives happily ever after. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!
> 
> x

-

 

 

“Come on Erin, it's for like three nights. You'll be fine.”

 

“I'm not a child Abby, I just don't see why we have to spend the nights there. It's only a two hour drive. We can make them day trips.”

 

“Because they're offering to put us up girl, and it's a very nice hotel. Anyway, when was the last time you had a vacation?” Patty adds. 

 

“I don't know,” Erin says weakly. “A few years?”

 

“It's solved then,” Abby deadpans. “Holtzmann, is that ok with you?” 

 

“I'm easy-breezy Abs, your call.”

 

Damn, Erin thinks to herself. If there was anybody she thought might have sided with her and scuttled this plan, it was Holtz. Because Erin is willing to bet her apartment on the fact that it's been almost as long since Holtz had one too, the reason for which probably not dissimilar to Erin's. 

 

Erin likes routine. 

 

She likes order and predictability and linearity, and while Holtz is sometimes settled amongst a fine mist of chaos and smoke, Erin knows she's the same too. 

 

Erin knows that the others think she's loud and messy but Erin knows she's not. Erin knows she's quiet because her head is a maelstrom, like Erin's too. Only she suspects the thoughts don’t sit on railroad tracks and scream past again and again and again. 

 

They fly. 

 

Erin knows this because she watches. 

 

Not in an  _ I'm keeping a diary of your every move _ way, no. It's closer to an  _ I think I might be in love with you but I don't think I'd stand a chance _ , way. 

 

It's terribly tragic and awfully high school but Erin  _ feels _ , for the first time in a very very long time, and she doesn't know what to do. 

 

“It's settled then,” Abby says happily. “I'll call them and tell them we're coming. Tomorrow.”

 

 

-

 

 

The hotel is beautiful. 

 

And huge. 

 

It's all glass and high ceilings and plush carpet and is very possibly the most exquisite building Erin's ever set foot in. 

 

 

“Ms. Yates, I'm terribly sorry but we've had an influx of a larger party and it appears someone has booked one of the four rooms we have reserved for you.”

 

“I call my own room,” Patty says lightning quick. 

 

“Me too,” Abby says, turning to glare at the others. Daring Erin to challenge it. 

 

“Wonderful,” Erin says dryly, turning to Holtz.

 

And honestly, she's a little caught off guard at the look on Jillian's face. 

 

The smile’s not there. It's faltered, hiding beneath a hesitant gaze instead. 

 

It doesn't stay for long though, as soon as Holtz registers Erin's slightly nervous look in return her face changes, softens slightly, although Erin can still see the caution and she doesn't quite understand. 

 

“Guess that's you and me, Gilbert,” Holtz says with a shrug, readjusting the strap of her heavy duffel on her shoulder. 

 

“Is that ok?” Erin asks, a little thrown. “Because I can find somewhere else to stay if it's not….”

 

And she doesn't want to, not really, but she's torn because staying means  _ staying _ . 

 

With Jillian. 

 

In the same room. 

 

For at least two nights. 

 

Hopefully not in the same bed because that just sounds like a complete disaster waiting to happen. 

 

She's conflicted though because honestly, she didn't think Holtz would have a problem with it at all from her end but clearly there's something wrong. 

 

“Don't be silly,” Holtz says quickly, her face softening further in the way that Erin's only ever observed oriented towards her. “It'll be fun.”

 

Erin can tell she's trying, clearly cognisant of the fact that she'd hurt Erin's feelings a little so she softens too, digging her nails into her palms in an attempt to calm her heart. 

 

“Ok,” Erin says carefully, nodding. “If you're sure.”

 

“Oh for god's sake,” Abby says with an eye roll as she looks to the receptionist. “Keys?”

 

 

-

 

 

There's only one bed. 

 

Of course there's only one bed. 

 

Granted it's a king, but still. 

 

The room is huge though and Holtz recovers quicker than Erin, moving to drop her bag on a couch that looks comfier than Erin's bed at home. 

 

“No sweat Er,” Holtz says easily. “I'll take the couch, ok?”

 

“Jill, no,” Erin starts, stumbling over her words a little. “I can't let you do that.”

 

She wants to say the bed is plenty big enough for both of us but she's not that brave, or bold, especially not in the face of Holtz’s hesitation. 

 

“Toss for it?” Erin says instead, reaching into her back pocket for a coin. 

 

“No way,” Holtz says with a smirk. “The lady gets the bed, and that's definitely not me.”

 

Erin could push but she's seen that beautifully stubborn streak that runs shot through Jillian's entire body so she admits defeat. For now. 

 

“Fine,” Erin says reluctantly, her lips curling up in a smile as Holtz smiles in victory back at her. “But one grumble about back pain and you're up here with me, ok?”

 

“We’ll see,” Holtz says with a wink. “Now, lets see how palatial this place is, shall we?”

 

 

-

 

 

The problem is, as it always is, in the cavernous underground part of the hotel. 

 

The hotel manager leads the four of them down into the basement before leading them towards an old, very heavy looking iron door. 

 

He takes a bulky, old fashioned key out of his pocket, jiggling it in the lock before it swings open, creaking loudly. 

 

“The modern hotel is built on the bones of a much older hotel, latticed beneath by this huge series of tunnels,” he explains as he stops short of walking through the door, shining his flashlight at the floor rather than down the tunnel.

 

“God, you'd never know looking at the place now,” Party says with a frown. “It's like a damn modern day palace upstairs.”

 

“Why on earth would someone build these in below a hotel?” Erin asks curiously. 

 

“They were likely used as escape routes when the country was a much less safe place I suspect, Doctor Gilbert,” the hotel manager says with a grimace. “Wealthy guests would likely pay extra to have access to them in case of an emergency.”

 

“How far do they go?” Abby asks with a frown. “And how many of them are there?” 

 

“We don't actually know,” the manager says with an apologetic shrug. “We know there are a lot, and they're extensive, possibly going for miles in either direction. No one's ever been able to explore them thoroughly, not in my history here. The ones that have showed an interest….changed their minds.”

 

It's ominous enough and they don't need to ask to know something untoward caused the change of heart but Holtzmann plies for details anyway. 

 

“What do you mean changed their minds?” Holtz asks, her voice unusually serious. “People came down here and then….”

 

“They'd come back up, either with no memory of what happened down here or too petrified to tell the manager of the time much more than farewell and thank you very much.”

 

“But they all came back?” Patty asks suspiciously. 

 

“Most of them,” the manager says with a wince. 

 

He stops then, looking to the others with a grimace. 

 

“As much as I appreciate you coming ladies, it's up to you as to whether you go on or not. The reports of noises down here have been consistent but they're not enough to shut us down. Not yet, anyway.”

 

“And that's all the information you have?” Erin asks evenly. “Just reports of noises?”

 

“Noises,” the manager says nodding. “Screams, occasionally. Chains clanking. Howls, despite the fact that this area has been urbanised for a few hundred years now.”

 

“Excellent,” Patty says dryly. 

 

“If you do go on, the hotel can't accept liability for what happens. You understand that, yes? We'll be eternally grateful for your help but….”

 

“We get it,” Abby says, holding her hand up to silence the man. “We can't promise we'll find anything but we'll do our best. Right ladies?”

 

“Damn right,” Holtzmann says directly to Erin's right, and Erin feels a little stronger as their arms bump together in the enclosed space. 

 

It's silly because she's a grown woman and really, she knows the others would do anything for her too, but Erin always feels better for having Holtz at her side during a bust. 

 

The manager nods gratefully before taking a step back from the door, beckoning them forward. 

 

“Good luck,” he says with a solemn nod. “And godspeed to you too.”

 

 

-

 

 

The air is different. 

 

That's the first thing Erin notices. 

 

It tastes heavier, earthier. Wetter. Definitively subterranean. 

 

The basement was concrete lined but these tunnels are different. It's dark so Erin can't see what's actually lining the walls until she raises her gun, shining the light attached to the end at eye level. 

 

It's dirt. Held back in places by old wooden planking. 

 

“No wonder it tastes like a damn graveyard down here,” Patty grumbles as she follows the beam of Erin's light. 

 

The tunnel is reasonably small so they walk single file, Abby and then Erin and Holtz, with Patty bringing up the rear. 

 

It's quiet, too quiet and Erin shivers as they walk maybe fifty metres away from the way in. 

 

Holtz starts humming then, nothing obnoxious or annoying, a soft soothing lull that Erin has noticed Holtz has started to do when Erin shows signs of being nervous or a little stressed and it soothes her. 

 

It's not just on busts, although it does seem to happen more frequently on them due to their inherent nature of being a little nerve racking but she does it in the lab too. 

 

Because sometimes Erin's brain doesn't work fast enough and she gets frustrated, sinking her teeth into the soft caps of her whiteboard markers before Holtz crosses the lab quietly, taking the pen gently from Erin as she scribbles a solution or moves Erin away to focus on something else, humming as she does so. 

 

And if it were anyone else she'd bat their hand away, refuse to be moved onto something else but it's Holtz so she lets herself be led. 

 

Erin has no idea if it's conscious or unconscious but the gentle noise helps and she lowers her shoulders, relaxes them a little but not fully. 

 

They walk on for another few minutes or so before Abby's voice calls out from the front. 

 

“Uh….guys?”

 

They all catch up to where Abby's standing with her hands on her hips and Erin's eyes widen. 

 

The tunnel splits. Into two routes. 

 

“No way,” Patty says when she sees why they've stopped. “Nuh-uh. I ain't going nowhere alone.”

 

“I'm with you Pad,” Holtz says, raising her gun up to run her light down one of the middle tunnels. “Hey, did you see that?”

 

Erin and the other two whip their heads around, looking for something faint in the darkness. Erin doesn't see anything and she's about to pull Holtz up for being a nuisance but the serious look on her face brings Erin up short. 

 

“What's wrong?” She asks Holtz softly. “What did you see?”

 

“A dog,” Holtz replies with a frown. “It looked like a dog. A big dog. A wolf maybe.”

 

“Girl, there can't be wolves down here. This place has been closed up for god knows how long.”

 

“This end maybe,” Erin says in Holtz’s defence and Jillian smiles in recognition of what she's doing. “But we don't know where the tunnels surface. And they did say they'd heard howling, right?”

 

Abby mulls it over as Patty shrugs as if to say ‘fair enough’ and Erin turns to Holtz. 

 

“Definitely quadrupedal, right? Not just someone hunched over?” Erin says as a shiver runs down her back and across her shoulders. 

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says, shouldering her weapon as she reaches out to run her hands up and down Erin's arms. “Lupine too I think, the hair looked long.”

 

“Alright,” Abby says and Holtz drops her hands quickly, as though she's only just realised what she'd been doing. “I say we go back topside and think of a plan of attack for tomorrow. What do you….”

 

Abby's broken off by a howl. 

 

An ear splitting, spine rippling  _ howl _ . 

 

Erin jumps, Patty too, and Holtz just looks deadpan at the other two with a look that says  _ I fucking told you. _

 

The noise sounds deep, low and far away but it's enough that Erin wants to drop their gear and run as fast as she can because while it's most definitely animal, it doesn't sound  _ alive _ . 

 

“How far away does that sound?” Abby asks, turning to Holtz. 

 

“A few hundred metres?” Holtz says with a frown. “Maybe shorter.”

 

“Do you have anything we can send as recon down one of those tunnels?” Abby asks Holtz. “Or anything we can leave as a camera feed?”

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says nodding. “I do, actually.”

 

She has her hands in the pockets of her overalls when the second how cuts through the damp silence. 

 

It's not the same as the first one though, it's lighter. An answering call. 

 

“Yo, I think we should leave,” Patty says with a nervous grimace. “Now.”

 

“We've got plenty of firepower, but I think Patty's right,” Holtz says with uncharacteristic seriousness as she fishes something that looks like a small camera with a few aftermarket additions attached to its surrounds.

 

“I'd like to get a peek at what we're dealing with before we hit it head on. Even with four of us,” Holtz says, looking to Erin with a little frown. “As long as I can pick up service down here this should feed back up to me upstairs from the room.” 

 

Erin watches curiously as she walks over to one of the wooden braces, affixing the camera to the wall with a bit of tape before stepping back and pulling out her phone. 

 

“What do you know,” Holtz says a little surprised. “It's coming through fine, I was worried the depth would throw the signal but it's golden. At least this way we can keep an eye on what's going on, right?”

 

“Nice job,” Abby says, patting Holtz on the shoulder before she turns. “Now, lets the the hell out of here.”

 

 

-

 

 

“What do you think they were?” Erin asks as she collapses onto the bed, dropping the pack lightly the minute she and Holtz walk through the door to their room. 

 

“I don't know,” Holtz says with a shrug as she walks in behind Erin, picking up her pack and dragging them both over to the chaise couch before flopping down herself. 

 

“I mean they could just have been wolves that got lost and died down there, but haven't we kind of established you have to have some kind of purpose to linger as a ghost?”

 

“Yeah,” Erin says as she shrugs off the top half of her overalls, stretching out on the bed as she yawns. “But how does that work for animals?” 

 

It's brief, no more than a flash, but she doesn't miss the way Holtz's eyes settle on the bare skin of her arms around her singlet top. 

 

Holtz recovers quickly, her eyes moving up to Erin's for a second before they move down her body again and then she shakes her head finally. 

 

“Maybe they belonged to someone,” Holtz says a little airily and Erin can tell she's still distracted. 

 

She should let it go because Erin knows they shouldn't be doing this. Or rather,  _ she _ shouldn't be doing this. 

 

They're colleagues and friends, best friends even, and Erin doesn't want to risk that. 

 

Well, she does. Or would if she knew she had some sort of chance but she's never fully known where Holtz stood. 

 

Because Holtz flirts like a hound, yes, but that's just her, as far as Erin's been able to observe anyway. 

 

And Erin doesn't have an over-inflated sense of self, far from it, but she knows Jillian's eyes have found and lingered on the skin Erin's bared to her more than once. 

 

So she knows that she shouldn't but Erin can't help feeling more than a little satisfied at having thrown Holtz off now. 

 

She shakes it off for now though because they really do have more pressing matters at hand. 

 

“What do you mean?” Erin asks curiously. “Like pets?”

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says with a shrug as she pulls her phone out of her pocket. “Like, people used to have weirder pets back in the day, right? Especially rich people. And I'm pretty sure that's the only category of person who could afford to put themselves up in a place like this, even back then. Maybe they belonged to someone, like guard dogs. And something happened to all of them?”

 

“Maybe,” Erin says nodding in agreement as she sits up, looking over to Holtz. “It's a stretch but I don't know how else they would have gotten down here.”

 

She pulls her gumboots off before moving to sit Indian style as she leans against the headboard in the middle of the bed, looking at Holtz as she focuses on the phone in her hands. 

 

She's beautiful like this, Erin thinks absently. All focus and concentrated dimples and hair slightly less tightly pinned than when they'd arrived this morning. 

 

And if Erin is truly honest with herself,  _ this _ is what she wants. 

 

Jillian and her and quiet, soft moments like this. But ones where she can walk across the room and kiss Jillian as she settles into her side, instead of having to sit on her hands to stop her reaching for something she doesn't even know Jillian wants. 

 

Well, Erin  **suspects** but she doesn't  _ know _ . 

 

Not for sure. 

 

Holtz looks up then, sensing the weight of Erin's gaze on her bent shoulders. 

 

Or the hope behind it, maybe.

 

She smiles a little shyly and Erin could almost swear the other woman could read her mind through her eyes because her face is soft, the small lines around her mouth ever so slightly curious at having caught Erin staring. 

 

“Do you want to see?” Holtz says gesturing to her phone. “The picture’s a bit dark, I should have left a torch down there but still it's better than nothing.”

 

“Yeah, please” Erin says, getting up to move before Holtz beats her to it. 

 

“Stay there,” Holtz says walking over to the bed with a smile. “You look comfy.”

 

She drops down onto the edge of the bed, close to Erin but not close enough. Not close enough for them to touch, at least. 

 

“You're too far away,” Erin mock grumbles with a smile. “I can't see.”

 

“I told you you need to get your eyes checked,” Holtz says with a smirk before she shuffles closer, sliding next to Erin against the headboard. 

 

The arms of Holtz's jumpsuit are already tied around her waist so her arms are bare too, leaving her in a plain black tee, and Erin almost jumps when their skin comes into contact, a scattering of goosebumps crawling their way up her body and across her shoulders. 

 

“Sorry,” Holtz says moving away quickly. “Am I cold?” 

 

“No,” Erin says shaking her head a little shyly. “Sorry I just….”

 

Holtz doesn't say anything but she moves closer to Erin with a smile on her face that's almost challenging Erin to say something about it, to call Holtz on the fact that she definitely doesn't need to be sitting this close but she is anyway. 

 

Her skin is warm against Erin's arm and she smells faintly of the perfume she wears, deeply fruity and musky, and the metallic tang of their packs. Erin doesn't say anything either but she moves an infinitesimal amount closer, meeting Jillian's challenge silently and Holtz smiles a small hopeful smile before she looks down at her phone. 

 

Erin's eyes follow hers, momentarily distracted from the warmth at her side by the picture on the small screen. 

 

The image is surprisingly clear given their distance from the camera and the darkness of the tunnel, although Holtz scowls at the quality nonetheless. 

 

“I've got it set to send an alert if the camera picks up a big change in brightness so we won't have to watch it the whole time,” Holtz says explaining to Erin. 

 

“How far do you think those tunnels go?” Erin asks absentmindedly, transfixed by the unchanging picture. 

 

“Only one way to find out,” Holtz says win a shrug. 

 

“I don't think I could go in like that,” Erin says with a shiver, her heart thumping wetly in her chest. “Go much deeper than we were today, I mean. I know it's our jobs but….”

 

“No buts, Er,” Holtz says quickly, looking to her. “We don't put ourselves into an unsafe situation if we think it's beyond us, ok? No one's bust is more important than our own safety.”

 

“Yeah,” Erin says, her heart beating a little easier. “I know we've seen worse but….it's just all small space and it's so deep underground and I….”

 

“You don't have to justify anything to me, ok? Ever,” Holtz says softly, settling her hand lightly on Erin's knee. “I'll call it tomorrow ok, you don't even have to. Just give me a sign and I'll pull the plug.”

 

It's something they'd agreed on after New York; an out on any bust, an immediate exit for any reason if they didn't feel comfortable or safe. No questions, no arguments, just as quick an exit as safely possible. 

 

“I can if I need….” Erin starts before she stops at the look on Holtz's face. The same one she'd seen a flash of down in the tunnel. 

 

“Thank you, Jill,” Erin says softly, sliding her hand over the top of the blonde's.

 

“Anytime buttercup, you know that,” Holtz says with a slightly loaded smile. 

 

They're both quiet for a moment, the air hanging in suspension around them as Erin's fingers thread between Jillian's and neither of them move a muscle beyond their eyes moving to trace the line of the others lips. 

 

They're still for a moment longer than is platonically appropriate and Erin feels a tug at her navel compelling her to move forward before something flickers across the screen and Holtz's phone buzzes twice in her hands. 

 

“What was that?” Erin asks quickly, her hand moving from Jillian's on her knee to hold the one currently wrapped around her phone. 

 

“I don't know,” Holtz says, leaning in closer. 

 

“Does it feed any sound through?” Erin asks with a frown, willing something other than grainy darkness to appear on screen. 

 

“No,” Holtz says with a quick shake of her head. “Just video. The camera doesn't have a microphone, damn it.”

 

“It's ok,” Erin says softly. “It's amazing we can see this much. If there's something there I'm sure it'll come back, Jill.”

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says, a little defeated. She's just about to drop the phone, her arm relaxing under Erin's when something flashes beneath the camera and a much more solid image comes into view.  

 

It's big, huge in fact if the relative size next to the figure that floats into view alongside it is anything to go by as a point of reference. 

 

“Is that a….” Erin trails off, disbelieving. 

 

“Wolf,” Holtz confirms. “ _ Big _ wolf.”

 

It's enormous, comes up well past the waist of the figure it's half floating, half padding around. 

 

“Is he leading that thing?” Erin asks, turning to Holtz. 

 

“Things,” Holtz says gently correcting her. “Look.”

 

She's right, Erin sees with a shudder. There are two of them, walking around the figure dressed in simple cloth garments that make his approximate time period almost impossible to ascertain. 

 

The wolves are sniffing around the area below the camera and the figure, a woman Erin realises with a jolt, disguised by the loose hanging clothing and tied back hair, looks directly into the camera. 

 

The behaviour of the wolves behind her changes immediately, and there's no sound but there doesn't need to be because Erin can see their bared teeth and raised hackles as clear as day. 

 

The woman looks into the camera with a curious gaze that turns hard at the very last second before her hand closes over the lens and everything goes black. 

 

“Oh my god,” Erin says a little shakily. Because this is their job but it doesn't mean she can't get scared sometimes too. “Holtzmann, can you tell me what the hell we just saw?” 

 

“I don't think I can Er,” Holtz says a little dumbstruck next to her. “I don't think I can.”

 

In that moment she's deeply grateful the hotel had confused their booking arrangement because there's something about this that scares Erin more than anything they've come up against to date, and for a reason she can't explain the image of the old woman at the foot of her bed for years comes back unbidden. 

 

“Hey,” Holtz says gently next to her. “Erin, are you ok?”

 

Holtz repeats herself and Erin realises she still hasn't said anything, is just staring dumbly at the bed beneath them. 

 

“Sorry,” Erin says shaking her head. “I don't know where I went.”

 

It's a lie and Holtz knows it too if the concerned look on her face is anything to go by. 

 

She turns her body more fully towards Erin, dropping her phone on the bed as she reaches up to place her hands on Erin's shoulders gently. 

 

“I know you better than that Gilbert,” Holtz says with a smile. “You don't have to tell me now but you can, ok? And you don't have come back down with us if you don't want. And I'll be here snoring with you all night too.”

 

It's specific enough that Erin almost asks if Jillian can read her damn mind but maybe, just maybe she  _ knows _ because she watches Erin as closely as Erin watches her. 

 

Erin nods, relaxing under the warm feeling of firm, gentle hands at her shoulders grounding her and there's another beat where she catches Jillian's eye for much longer than she should. 

 

She inhales deeply, memorising the way Holtz's hands make room for the expansion and she's about to say something, to lean forward maybe, when the phone on the dresser rings, breaking the spell. 

 

It's closer to her but Holtz shakes her head softly, frowning deeply before half leaning across Erin's body to snatch it off the cradle. 

 

“Yo,” Holtz says a little shortly. 

 

She's quiet for a second as she listens to whoever’s on the other line, and Erin tries her best not to be distracted by the warm weight of Jillian half-in her lap. 

 

She's still holding her hands up in the air awkwardly, having moved them out of the way when Holtz moved and there's really no place for one of them other than to rest it in the middle of the blonde's back while Erin waits for her to finish the call. 

 

She doesn't miss a beat verbally but Erin can't help but smile at the way Holtz shivers when her hand settles. 

 

“Yah,” Holtz says before clearing her throat. “Cool, ok we'll be there in a tic.” 

 

Holtz sets the phone down before moving back across Erin, shifting off her lap. 

 

“Sorry,” Holtz says, not sounding sorry at all. “That was Patty. She says they've got more intel if we want to join them. That ok? I can go alone if you'd rather….”

 

“No,” Erin says quickly, sliding her hand reluctantly down Holtz's back. “No, I'll come. You're ready now?”

 

“As I'll ever be,” Holtz says with a wink as she rolls off the bed before she holds her hand out to Erin. “Come on Gilbert, let's do this together. You can hold my hand if I get scared, huh?”

 

 

-


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ladies discuss their plan of attack, and Erin and Holtz have a little heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a response, you guys are amazing!
> 
> So, I think this is a little scarier than the first chapter so maybe read with the light on if you need? Or read with a buddy?
> 
> x

-

 

 

“They're  _ how _ old?” Erin asks with an open mouth as she perches on the end of Patty's bed, Holtz next to her and Abby in a chair opposite. 

 

“Pre-colonial, I think,” Patty says, peering over the top of her laptop. “They've been used for years though, after you white folk came. That would explain the wooden bracing we saw. The hotel was built on top of them for that reason, I'd wager.”

 

“Two wolves,” Abby asks Holtz from where they're sitting across from each other. “And a girl?”

 

“Yep,” Holtz says nodding seriously. “I'm not sure how old she looked, no older than me I'd say.”

 

“What was she wearing?” Patty asks from across the room. “Our clothes or old stuff?”

 

“Old,” Erin says answering for her. “It looked like a smock but it could have been a dress. Plain though. Natural looking fabric.”

 

“How big were the wolves?” Abby asks with a frown. 

 

“Huge,” she and Jillian both say at the same time and Erin gives her a shy little smile before they both look back at Abby. 

 

There's a moment where Abby gives Erin a peculiar look before she speaks again but she doesn't say anything, to Erin's relief. 

 

Because while she's fairly certain of her own feelings, she's not ready to be called on them in front of everyone. 

 

Yet. 

 

“How huge?” Abby says after a second. 

 

“Above her waist height,” Erin says remembering with a frown. “Big too, thick around their shoulders. Definitely wolves, not dogs.”

 

“How corporeal did they look?” Abby asks them both. “Solid?”

 

“It's hard to tell from the film but they looked solid enough. I mean weak stuff normally struggles to show on film but we saw these loud and clear, right Er? And she could touch the camera to dislodge it.”

 

The blonde looks to Erin with this wonderfully soft look of questioning and affirmation all at once, like she's making sure Erin knows this was  _ their _ experience and not something she has to struggle through alone. 

 

“Yeah,” Erin says agreeing. “They looked like easy threes. Maybe fours?”

 

“I agree,” Holtz says nodding again. She leans back on the bed slightly then, her hand brushing Erin's lower back ever so gently as she braces herself in a half reclined position. 

 

Erin shivers softly at the contact and Abby misses it but Jillian doesn't, looking into her eyes with a curious smile. 

 

“What do you think it would take to neutralise something like that?” Abby asks Holtz seriously. 

 

“Probably nothing more than normal?” Holtz says crinkling her nose a little. “I don't know though, it's hard to tell. We've never really had a good crack at an animal before, have we?”

 

“Only one way to find out,” Abby says with a shrug. “What's the plan of attack then? Want to wait until the morning?”

 

Erin's about to open her mouth to come clean about her slightly nervous hesitations but Holtz beats her to it. 

 

“I don't know you guys,” she says and both Abby and Patty snap their gazes to her immediately. “Maybe we need to rethink this before we go all in.”

 

“Are you for real?” Patty asks curiously. “You actually want to be careful?”

 

“Well, yeah,” Holtz says shrugging easily. “I mean normally we go in with a clear in and out but these are different. I don't know about you guys but I'm not super fond of being chased in a labyrinth underground by a couple of potentially rabid wolves with no known exit. I just think we should be more careful is all.”

 

“What do you suggest then?” Abby asks, looking curiously at Holtz. 

 

“We go in, stick near the entrance, don't split up and if she comes to us, great. If she doesn't, I say we wait for her to get tired of those tunnels and come topside. What do you say?”

 

“Sounds remarkably sensible,” Abby says nodding in acceptance before turning to Erin. “Are you sure she's her and not the ghost of Lost Responsibility past?”

 

Holtz looks to Abby with a look of mock horror but Erin puts her hand on Jillian's knee softly. 

 

“It's her, Abby,” Erin says easily, offering no extra explanation, and Holtz beams in response before poking her tongue at Abby. 

 

“It's definitely her,” Abby and Patty both say with an eye roll before they laugh gently. 

 

“Alright,” Abby says, slapping her palms on her thighs. “I'm going to order room service and hit the hay. We might need our strength tomorrow, hmm?”

 

“Us too?” Erin asks, looking to Holtz with a soft question in her eyes. 

 

“Lead the way,” Holtz says, rolling off the end of the bed before gesturing in front of her for Erin to go ahead first. 

 

“Hey, not too late on that ok?” Erin fires back to Patty on her laptop as they reach the door. 

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Patty says waving vaguely in their direction as the three of them file out of her room. 

 

“You ok?” Abby asks Erin before they walk in opposite directions down the hall. 

 

“Fine,” Erin says dismissively stopping when Abby frowns heavily at her. 

 

“I'm fine, Abby,” she says, a little more convincingly. “Something about this just feels off, you know?”

 

“You know the drill?” Abby says watching Erin carefully. “You don't like something and you pull the pin, ok?”

 

“I know,” Erin says, her eyes softening. “Thanks Abby. Sleep well.”

 

“You too,” Abby says with a smirk before she looks over Erin's shoulder at Holtzmann. “Look after her?”

 

Erin rolls her eyes at that, regardless of the fact that her heart swells a little at the care in Abby's voice. 

 

“Like my life depended on it,” Holtz says bowing and Erin knows she's playing dumb but the deeper part of her, the one that revels in the quiet peace she finds with Jillian knows it's purer. 

 

They go their separate ways then, Erin vetoing Holtz's dinner choices on the way back to their room. 

 

The evening passes in pleasant conversation as they eat and it's not until they start to get ready for bed that Erin starts to feel a little nervous again. 

 

She excuses herself after they shuffle their dishes into the hallway to shower and get ready for bed, running the water almost too hot to stand before she steps under it and lets the temperature serve as its own distraction. 

 

It works for as long as Erin's under but as soon as she steps out she feels colder than the steam of the bathroom should allow for. She pads over to the sink, checking the time on her watch before she blanches, not having noticed the hour getting away on her. 

 

She throws her hair up into a messy towel-dried high bun before walking out into the room in the old tee and yoga tights she'd bundled up in her arms on the way in. 

 

She's half way through a stuttered apology, bending to pick up the clothes she'd dropped on the way into the room when she looks up, surprised to find a fresh-faced and showered Jillian Holtzmann sitting up in a makeshift couch bed watching her with an amused smile. 

 

“I'm so sorry,” Erin says hurriedly before she takes in the sight in front of her. “I had no idea how long I'd been in there. Where'd you….?”

 

“Abby's room,” Holtz says easily. “I thought you'd be a little while so I shot out and showered so you'd have company when you got out.”

 

Erin knows she should say something but she's struck a little dumb at the beautiful simplicity of Jillian sitting cross-legged on the couch. 

 

Her face is clean of makeup and her hair is mostly dry, wound in one big ringlet hanging over her left shoulder. 

 

She's wearing black boyshorts but her legs are bare, soft and creamy white with the suggestion of muscle in her thighs and it takes Erin a moment as distracted as she is, to take note of her top. 

 

“Is that….?” Erin asks with a curious smile. 

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says a little sheepishly. “It ended up with my stuff after Abby put a load on after a bust and I….”

 

“Stole my t-shirt?” Erin says teasingly. 

 

“Borrowed,” Holtz says defensively. “Besides, how many of my things are in your drawers at home right now? Is it or is it not in excess of ten?”

 

“No,” Erin says a little guiltily. “Three maybe. Four at most.”

 

Holtz holds her gaze for a second before Erin breaks first and they both laugh. 

 

“Even?” Erin offers, throwing her clothes into her bag before she drops onto the bed. 

 

“Even,” Holtz says with a smirk. “Once you give over ownership of that Columbia hoodie. I've been eyeing that bad boy for months.”

 

“Really?” Erin says with a frown. “Why? It's like threadbare.”

 

“Exactly,” Holtz says with a smile. “Worn in.  _ Perfect _ .”

 

“It's yours,” Erin says with a shy smile. “Especially after today, before with Abby I mean. Thank you Jill.”

 

“No sweat,” Holtz says smiling widely. “Anytime, Er. Really.”

 

Erin just grins in return as she perches on the end of her bed. Holtz is watching her with a soft, slightly concerned curiosity and it makes Erin feel a little warm in the bottom of her chest because honestly, she doesn't think she can ever remember anyone looking at her like that, not even her mother. 

 

Holtz shifts a little on the couch and Erin feels something move between them, slide its way around her wrist with a lover’s caress before she feels it invisibly do the same to Jillian on the bed and when Holtz moves she feels a tiny  _ tug _ but she doesn't move, not yet. 

 

“You sure you're ok, Er?” Holtz asks gently. “You know you can tell me if you're not, right? You don't need to put on a brave face with me.”

 

Erin goes to dismiss the concern out of hand but she stops herself because something tells her Holtz will know if she speaks anything but the truth. 

 

“I know,” she says finally, dropping her head. “It just makes me feel so vulnerable, you know? Those memories as a child….I spent years trying to suppress them because of how they make me feel. Small, scared. Crazy.”

 

She pauses for a moment to look up to Holtz whose look of concern has only grown deeper. 

 

“I don't think I realised how much damage it did until recently,” Erin says quietly. 

 

“The last thing any of us want is to dredge up shit from your past Er,” Holtz says gently. “We don't have to go down at all.”

 

“I think I have to?” Erin says with a frown. “I think it'll do more damage if I hide.”

 

“Then I'll be stuck to your side the whole time if you want me there,” Holtz says with the soft voice she only uses for Erin. “Deal?”

 

“Deal,” Erin says with a smile before frowning as Holtz slides under the covers. “Are you sure you're ok there? I feel awful taking the bed.”

 

“I'm fine,” Holtz replies easily as she wriggles down into the makeshift bed. “On a comfy as hell couch in a room with a beautiful woman? I've slept much worse.”

 

“If you say so,” Erin says with a slightly guilty sigh. “I think you might need to get your eyes checked by the way.”

 

“My eyes are just fine, Gilbert,” Holtz says with a smirk. “Good night. You'll wake me if you need?”

 

“Sure,” Erin says, laying down as she reaches up to flick the light out on the console about her head. 

 

“ _ Erin _ ,” Holtz says a little warningly, leaning up on an elbow so she can glare at Erin slightly. 

 

“Fine,” Erin says with a playful scowl as she hits the switch. 

 

She waits until Holtz settles back down before she does so herself, watching the line of the blonde’s profile in the darkness of the room, her hair glowing an almost grey once Erin's eyes adjust to the darkness. 

 

She settles in herself then, pulling the covers up around her neck as she stares at the ceiling. 

 

She's ok for a minute or two, distracted by the sound of Jillian breathing across the room but then darkness starts to feel heavy. 

 

She rolls, pulling the blankets up higher to obscure her view of the room slightly and she hears movement across the room but doesn't dare look. 

 

It's ridiculous really because she's forty something years old and she's  _ afraid of the dark _ but it's something she's never been able to shake, especially not tonight when she knows what's walking floors below them. 

 

The light comes as a surprise, leaking in around the edges of her blanket and she does hazard a look then peering out cautiously. 

 

The room is dimly lit by the overflow of the bathroom light, obscured by an almost but not-quite closed door. 

 

Holtz doesn't say anything, just gives Erin a little smile before climbing back into her makeshift bed and crossing her arms over her chest as she stares at the roof. 

 

“Thank you Jill,” she says quietly and she's not sure Holtz hears her but the reply comes gently a few seconds later. 

 

“Go to sleep, Er. I'll watch for the both of us, ok?”

 

So she closes her eyes, listening to the steady breaking on the other side of the room and sleep finds her quickly. 

 

 

-

 

 

The visions are quick but violent and they stop her breath in her throat. 

 

Abby and Patty, sprawled out on the dirt of the tunnels in angles that no living person would physically manage. 

 

Flashes and growling and snarling and  **_dark dark dark_ ** and Erin spinning, trying to find the sound of the noise but meeting nothing but darkness. 

 

And Jillian. 

 

No Jillian. 

 

But she promised, she promised,  _ she promised _ she wouldn't leave. 

 

Erin turns and comes face to face with the woman with wild eyes and wolves at her call and everything goes  **black** but she can hear Jillian now, calling her name again and again and again. 

 

 

-

 

 

“Erin,  _ Erin _ . Come on Er, you need to wake up. You're dreaming. It's just a dream.”

 

She bolts upright and into the arms of Holtz, leaning on her knees on the empty side of the bed, her hand soft on Erin's arm. 

 

Her heart's hammering and she's scared out of her mind so she reaches for Holtz blindly, winding her arms around the blonde's shoulders desperate for some comfort or consolation. 

 

And Jillian reacts immediately, moving towards Erin with an ease that suggests they've done this a thousand times. She pulls Erin close and moves her palms soothingly over the planes of Erin's back, whispering softly into her ear. 

 

“It's ok Er, it was just a dream. I'm here now, ok? I'm here.”

 

Erin doesn't say anything though because she knows it wasn't a dream. 

 

It was targeted and specific and  _ for her _ but she can't find her breath to tell Holtz that now. Not yet. 

 

She relaxes after a minute or two, feels the panic recede slightly and give way to cold terror. 

 

Holtz pulls back then, feeling some of the rigidity of Erin's fear recede. She moves away slightly but doesn't shift her hands from Erin's arms.

 

“I'm sorry,” Erin says softly, lifting one of her hands to cover Jillian's on her arm. 

 

“Don't apologise Er, it's fine ok? If I wasn't glad they double bunked us before, I sure am now.”

 

“You were glad before?” Erin asks, holding onto the distraction. “You looked kind of put out when they told us at the front desk.”

 

“Of course I was glad,” Holtz says softly. “I love spending time with you. I was just worried it would put you out. Besides, you’re by far the more favourable roommate. Can you imagine sharing with those other two?”

 

“No,” Erin says with a half-laugh. “Abby snores like a bear.”

 

“So does Patty,” Holtz says with a smile. “I'm surprised we can't hear them from here.”

 

They're quiet for a second and Erin tries to concentrate on the feeling of Jillian's hands around her arms and under her palm as she catches the last of her breath. 

 

“You want to tell me about it?” Holtz says with a soft frown. 

 

“In the morning?” Erin asks, shivering despite the warmth around her. 

 

“Of course,” Holtz says nodding. 

 

She drops one of her hands but Erin keeps the other one, the one under her own hand, there. 

 

She knows this is a terrible decision because she's conflicted enough about her feelings for Holtz as it is and sharing a bed with her is hardly likely to make it any better. 

 

But it's dark and there's  _ so _ long until morning and Erin doesn't think she could bear being alone. 

 

“Do you think you could stay here? Just in case….” she trails off, not sure what else to say to fill the gap. 

 

It doesn't matter though because Holtz is already nodding, sliding backwards so she can crawl beneath the covers with Erin. 

 

She props herself up, pulling her phone off the side table before looking back down at Erin. 

 

“Do you have nightmares often?” Holtz asks curiously. 

 

“Yes,” Erin says honestly, because there's no point in lying now. “I mean they come and go, mostly around bad busts you know, but yes. Often.”

 

“Are they always that bad?” Holtz asks quietly. 

 

“Mostly,” Erin says even quieter. “Sometimes they're worse but sometimes they're not, too.”

 

Abby knows she has nightmares, has done so since she was young when her fear was fresh and justified but she's never really spoken about them at length. Or to anyone else. 

 

“What happens when you're alone?” Holtz asks softly. “Are you always alone?” 

 

“Get up,” Erin says shrugging. “Turn the lights on. Read. Anything really, just not falling back asleep.”

 

Holtz looks to her with an expression that isn't pity, it's something deeper,  _ kinder _ maybe. 

 

“You know I'd sleep on your couch every night if you asked me to, right? In case you had any more?” Holtz says finally and it makes Erin want to cry because it's so damn earnest. 

 

“You would?” Erin asks, even though she knows it's true. Can feel the truth of it in her bones. 

 

“Of course I would,” Holtz replies, as though it's the silliest thing in the world to question. “For now though put your head down Er, I won't let whatever it was come back, ok?”

 

It's ridiculous because it's her subconscious and how can another person have any say or sway over what does or doesn't come to Erin unbidden but she nods anyway, sliding back down and moving towards Holtz as subtly as she can without being noticed. 

 

She turns on her side, rolling towards Holtz as she slides one hand under her cheek, splaying the other in the empty space between them. 

 

Holtz doesn't say anything but she slides her spare hand, the one not holding her phone down between them, taking Erin's spare hand in hers gently. 

 

“I'm right here,” Holtz says softly as Erin closes her eyes, squeezing Jillian's hand as the gratitude makes a small home inside the hollow of her chest. 

 

Her sleep is dreamless, beyond flashes of blonde and sunlight and the slow steady warmth of a pulse beneath her hand. 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the next little instalment!
> 
> Chapter three should be up in a few days, until then feel free to swing by my [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com/) if you'd like or have any questions!
> 
> x


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin wakes up after her nightmare, and the ladies head down into the tunnels and face their foes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the action/adventure portion of this story begins, friends!
> 
> The pace picks up here quite neatly so get ready for the ride...
> 
> x

-

 

 

Erin opens her eyes to a room full of light, and it takes her a moment to remember where she is. 

 

The sheets are clean and soft,  _ the hotel _ she remembers, and then the memory of her night comes back to her. 

 

She turns suddenly, softly but a little embarrassed to the figure sleeping next to her. 

 

It takes her a second to register that they're still holding hands, under the blankets and hidden - yes - but the gesture feels more intimate for that. 

 

_ She's still fast asleep _ Erin realises with a wave of relief, and she allows herself to relax back down into the softness of the mattress. 

 

The early morning light is coming into the room easily through a small gap in the curtains, falling into the waves of blonde hair that scatter across the pillow they were until a moment ago sharing. 

 

She's beautiful like this, Erin thinks, drinking in the line of her jaw and the curve of her throat, memorising as many features as she can before the blonde stirs. 

 

Because she looks at Jillian in the day, of course she does, but she doesn't allow her eyes to settle for longer than they should for fear of….

 

Of what, Erin's honestly not sure. 

 

Being caught, maybe. 

 

Or being rejected if she was to allow Holtz to catch her staring, of admitting her feelings and being turned away. 

 

But there's no hesitation here, now, nothing between them for Erin to fear so she breathes in the way their hands feel linked together and the smell of the blonde's shampoo in the dawn. 

 

She's that distracted she doesn't notice the way the other woman's breathing shifts, lightens, so when she speaks Erin almost jumps out of her skin. 

 

“Take a picture,” Holtz mumbles, her voice rough from sleep.

 

She doesn't open her eyes and she doesn't release Erin's hand either, her fingers a tightening in Erin's instead. 

 

“I wasn't…..” Erin tries but Holtz opens one eye then, a small smirk on her face. 

 

“You were,” Holtz says, still smiling. “It's ok though, I've been told I'm very attractive in the morning.”

 

Erin laughs then, the mood softening as Holtz yawns, lifting her spare hand to cover her mouth. 

 

“Good morning,” Holtz says once the shake leaves her shoulders. “How are you?”

 

She does lift their joint hands up above the line of the blanket then and Erin's about to blush, a thousand excuses on her tongue but she doesn't need them. 

 

Because Holtz brings their linked hands up in her own, running her thumb over Erin's knuckles in a gesture that says ‘ _ this is ok _ ’ and ‘ _ I want this a little bit too _ ’ and ‘ _ don't our hands fit perfectly together _ .’

 

“Ok,” Erin says shrugging, trying for casualness but missing by a country mile. 

 

“How are you really?” Holtz asks softly, watching Erin closely. 

 

“Tired,” Erin says more honestly. “Nervous. A little scared.”

 

“Better,” Holtz says smiling kindly. “I mean not, obviously but I just don't want you to feel like you can't tell me the truth. About anything, ok? Even if it's that you pinched the last slice of pizza.”

 

“When you stop eating my slices I'll stop needing to steal yours, ok?” Erin says, her face breaking out in a slightly defensive blush. 

 

“ _ There _ you are,” Holtz says smiling widely, and Erin knows she's been had. 

 

“Sorry,” Erin says a little sheepishly. 

 

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Holtz says easily, unlacing their hands gently. “For the record, I love it when you steal my slices. Just, you know. For future reference.”

 

Erin smiles a little curiously, watching Holtz place her hand lightly in the bed between them as she leans up on her elbow. 

 

And they're not touching any more but they feel very close together, the whisper of Jillian's breath ghosting over her lips, and if she moved forward just the most infinitesimal amount they'd  _ touch _ . 

 

They're both perfectly still for what feels like an age and a heartbeat all at once, and Erin watches as Holtz takes a breath and moves forward a fraction of an inch when pounding on the door brings Erin's heart into her throat. 

 

It startles them both as caught up in each other as they were, and Erin clutches at her heart as Holtz gives her an uncharacteristically shy smile before she slides out of bed to pull the door open. 

 

“Abby,” Holtz says with sarcastic enthusiasm. “Light of my day. Your timing is impeccable. Come on in.”

 

“What are you….” Abby starts, frowning before she bites her tongue. “You know what, actually I don't want to know.”

 

She looks over to greet Erin, smiling a little when she registers the abandoned bedding on the couch and the clearly slept in half of the bed next to Erin. 

 

“Morning sleepyhead,” Abby says with a little smirk. She doesn't say anything but Erin knows it's a kind smirk, no trace of disapproval or malice. “Thought we'd better come wake you up if we want to get down there with a full day ahead of ourselves.”

 

“What's the time?” Erin asks a little confused as she looks to the clock on the bedside and registers nine am. “God, sorry. I didn't mean us to oversleep.”

 

“It's fine,” Abby says with an easy shrug. “Late night?”

 

“Something like that,” Holtz finishes for her. “Nothing like a hearty nightmare to give the old ticker a good run, right?”

 

“You had a nightmare?” Abby asks seriously, her tone changing suddenly. “What about?”

 

“What do you think?” Erin says with a frown, gesturing to the floor below them. 

 

“Er, we really don't have to do this today if you don't feel up to it, ok?” Abby says a little softer, the worry showing in the lines around her mouth. 

 

“It's fine,” Erin says, shaking the feeling of damp cold off her shoulders. “I'm fine, it just threw me for a bit ok? I'm ok to do this, I promise.”

 

Abby looks at Erin like she wants to challenge her but Erin knows she won't, not if she knows this is what Erin has set her mind to. 

 

“Ok then,” Abby says, nodding slowly as she moves to leave. “Suit up and have some breakfast and we'll meet you downstairs in an hour?”

 

Erin nods and turns to Holtz, expecting to find the look of rippling excitement that seems to fill her before a bust, but she finds hesitation instead. She doesn't say anything either, just gives Erin a look that clearly says ‘this is your call’ before Erin nods again, signalling her affirmation and Holtz bows her head before holding up the room service menu. 

 

“In that case, I think the morning calls for pancakes, no?” Holtz says with a brightness that doesn't quite reach her eyes. 

 

 

-

 

 

Erin can feel the reluctance rolling off Jillian's skin as they finish their breakfast before they take turn about in the shower. 

 

Erin walks out into the room, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail (because she'd done it by accident once and Holtz had lit up like a Christmas tree when she'd seen it, and Erin's worn it not so subtly that way ever since) when she catches Holtz dipping her finger into the last of the maple syrup, her gear in a heap on the floor at her feet. 

 

It's a welcome sight, her cheeks reddening at being caught, and Erin laughs as she walks over to her collecting her own pack on the way across the room. 

 

“Ready?” Holtz asks, reaching out to take Erin's pack for her and she doesn't mean to,  _ really _ , but she just can't take her eyes off the tiny splash of syrup on Jillian's bottom lip. 

 

“What?” Holtz asks, looking down at her top in response to Erin's gaze. 

 

“You've got a little….” Erin says trailing off as she licks her finger completely unconsciously before lifting it to Jillian's lip. 

 

Holtz watches Erin's finger as it moves towards her, her eyes fixed on Erin's wrist when it gets too close to follow. 

 

Her lips are softer than Erin's expecting and she can't help that the next thought that crosses her mind is ‘I _ wonder if they'd be soft to kiss too. _ ’

 

Her gaze drags up to meet Jillian's and as much as she tries, her self control can't stop her from pulling her thumb into her mouth. 

 

The syrup is sweet but the look on Jillian's face is sweeter, and Erin's pleasantly surprised to see a blush creep across her cheeks. 

 

“Thanks,” Holtz says airily, her eyes following the path of Erin's hand as it falls to her side.

 

She doesn't say anything but that's ok because Erin's more than a little happy to watch the reaction that shifts its way through Jillian's body, and the mute silence that follows. 

 

“Well,” Erin says, smiling with a hint of self-satisfaction. “Shall we?”

 

 

-

 

 

It's worse than Erin remembers. 

 

The darkness feels so much more oppressive now they know what's down here, waiting in the shadows for them. 

 

The hotel manager leaves them at the entrance to the basement this time, handing Abby the key with a shaky hand and a shakier ‘good luck.’

 

“Patty,” Abby says as she folds the key to the tunnels in her pocket and she flicks the light on her shoulder on. “Want to tell these two what you found last night?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Patty says, remembering suddenly. “So I did a bunch of research into the site and it turns out this place is way old. There have been a bunch of people who have laid claim to this land over the years but one of ‘em was an old indigenous tribe who were known for their family of medicine women.”

 

“Let me guess,” Holtz deadpans. “They had a tricky knack for domesticating wolves, too.”

 

“More or less,” Patty says frowning as they move further and further into the tunnels. “From what I can see they were medicine women but it was more than that. They were like guardians of the land, protectors. The wolves were a signal of their bond with the land and would attach themselves to the successor of the tribe when children were born.”

 

“So this woman is a malignant spirit with an intensely strong bond to the land we're trespassing on?” Erin asks with a frown. “Wonderful.”

 

She's brought up short by Abby in front of her, stopping suddenly as the tunnel widens out to the split of two paths. 

 

“Here we are,” Abby says, readjusting her pack across her shoulders as she turns to Erin. “Time to get set up.”

 

They distribute a series of small beacons across the mouth of both tunnels, the devices intended to suspend any metaphysical energy in place for a few moments to allow them to capture the ghost and her wolves into the more secure traps Holtz has laid out on the ground around them. 

 

“What do we do now?” Patty asks once they're all set up and Holtz preps the last trap. 

 

“Now,”  Holtz says straightening up from her crouched position on the ground. “We try and call our friends.”

 

“How the hell do we do that?” Patty says, giving Holtz a suspicious sideways eye. 

 

“A bit of whistling will do the trick, I think,” Holtz says, smiling brightly as she turns to Erin. 

 

This had been their idea, constructed through the bathroom wall while Holtz had been in the shower this morning, and Erin can't help but smile back at their cleverness. 

 

Holtz opens her phone, tapping the screen before she holds it up to the open air, a stupid grin on her face. 

 

“What in the hell are you doing?” Patty says with a frown, as if Holtz has just confirmed every suspicion Patty's ever had about the three of them. 

 

She opens her mouth to say something else but Erin raises her hand instead. 

 

“Shhhh,” Erin whispers. “Listen.”

 

It's low at first, but it gets louder and louder slowly, the faint rumbling changing into a distinguishable growl as Holtz continues to hold her phone above her head. 

 

They all spin, desperately looking for the source of the noise before Erin finally sees something down the mouth of the tunnel in the direction they'd come from. 

 

“Oh no,” Erin whispers, realising they hadn't anticipated the ghosts coming from that way, only further down the depths of the tunnels. 

 

Holtz snaps her head around upon hearing her voice, lowering her phone slowly to her side.  

 

“Was that….” Patty asks with a tense edge to her voice. 

 

“A dog whistle,” Holtz says back quietly. “Yeah.”

 

Erin can see them now, three very solid looking luminescent shapes moving closer and closer, hovering ever so slightly off the ground. 

 

The growling is louder too and it scatters goosebumps across Erin's arms beneath her jumpsuit. 

 

She rubs at them as much as she can while still holding the barrel of her weapon and Holtz must pick up on the tension rolling off her because she raises her phone, switching the sound off before she stuffs it back in her pocket and raises her own gun. 

 

“Alright ladies,” Abby says with a grimace as she lines herself up in preparation. “Game-time.”

 

They're spread out across the mouth of the tunnel, Patty and Abby more or less over the mouth of one and Erin and Holtz over the other as the ghost and her companions close the last forty feet, stopping about ten feet back from them. 

 

“We're ok, Er,” Holtz whispers to Erin out of the corner of her mouth and it's so quiet that she barely hears it but somehow the ghost does too, her head flicking up to watch Erin carefully. 

 

“I don't know if you can understand us,” Abby says carefully, stepping forward an inch to address the ghost. “We don't want trouble, but you can't be here. You can't stay here threatening the guests and making people crazy, ok?”

 

She doesn't actually say anything but her face drops from casual observation to aggressive in a second and it's clear to Erin that regardless of whether she speaks or not, she has understood Abby's words perfectly. 

 

Her expression isn't the only thing that changes either, both of the wolves change stance from wary to angry too, their heads dipping low as their hackles raise high and the growling starts again, lower and much more dangerous to Erin's ears. 

 

“Easy,” Patty says in warning. “We don't want trouble girl, we just need you to leave. Ok?”

 

Her words only seem to make the girl angrier though and before Erin can take another terrified breath, the three of them start to advance.

 

“Uh, ladies,” Patty says a little panicked. “What do we do now?” 

 

“Get ready to fire a warning shot,” Abby says slowly as all four of them move their fingers over the trigger of their guns. 

 

The ghost holds her hand out low, palm open to the ground as the three figures continue to advance, the wolves stopping short when she closes her fist a few feet from them. 

 

God, the wolves looked big from a distance but they look  _ enormous _ close up, coming well past Erin's hips, and her feet stay solid in the dirt below them but her body is positively screaming at her to run. 

 

Abby doesn't stay quite as still, taking one tiny step backwards,  and Erin watches with a jolt as the ghost smiles. 

 

It takes her a second but then it runs down her spine with a blood chilling realisation, just what the woman is trying to get them to do. 

 

She and the wolves advance another step and Patty and Holtz take a step back as well as Abby, and suddenly Erin's the only one holding her ground. 

 

One of the wolves growls, snapping long teeth that look far too solid for Erin's liking and Holtz takes a bigger step back further into the mouth of their tunnel before Erin stops her with a rough hand on her forearm. 

 

“No,” Erin says through gritted teeth to Holtz under her breath. “She's trying to force us back into the tunnels.”

 

“Shit,” Holtz says quietly but Abby hears it, her head snapping quickly to watch the two of them. 

 

“What was that for,” Abby says out of the corner of her mouth, her eyes locked back on the ghost. 

 

“She's trying to push us back into the tunnels, Abby,” Erin says louder because the ghost can hear them regardless. 

 

“Shit,” Abby says, looking desperately between she and Patty and Erin and Holtzmann. 

 

“What do we do ladies?” Patty asks with a grimace as the wolves take another step, angling their bodies slightly towards each tunnel mouth. 

 

“My vote’s for a quick show of strength,” Holtz says with a grimace. 

 

“I think you're right,” Erin says nodding because really there's nothing else to do beyond being pushed further down separate tunnels. 

 

“Alright then,” Abby says, lowering the barrel of her gun towards the wolf watching them as Erin and Holtz do the same. 

 

“You've got one last chance baby,” Patty offers the ghost who only opens her palms in reply, a louder growl starting to emanate from the wolves. 

 

“Don't say we didn't warn you,” Patty says shrugging as she lets the first stream go. 

 

The others follow suit and in a second the small tunnel is filled with bright red light. 

 

The beams wrap around the shoulders and hackles of the wolves and they stall for a moment before they both snap in unison, pushing against the beam to take another step. 

 

“Ahhhhh,” Patty says hazarding a glance to Holtz. “Isn't that supposed to stop them.”

 

“Yes,” Holtz says seriously, a slightly concerned look crossing her features briefly. “Yes, it is. Ladies, I want you to hit that little red button on the side of your weapons by the trigger, ok?”

 

They all look for the button they didn't know was there, Erin hitting hers first. 

 

The result is instantaneous, her beam changing from red to hot white as the others follow suit. 

 

It works, for a second at least. 

 

It drops the wolves lower and one of them whines high before the ghost whispers something Erin can't make out to them and they start to pant, their chests expanding and contracting rapidly as they draw in quick huffing breaths. 

 

Whatever they're doing seems to help and they shake their heads as they move into their previous positions, the lines of their beams still entangled around the wolves bodies nothing more than a slight annoyance. 

 

“What do we do now?” Erin whispers to Holtz over the crackling of their guns. 

 

“I've got something a little heavy duty in my back pocket,” Holtz replies. “But I can't reach it while I'm holding the gun.”

 

Erin nods, understanding as she drops her weapon and the light in the tunnel drops a little. She takes a step towards Holtz before she slides her hand into the pocket that runs down the back of the blonde’s thigh. 

 

She's in mortal danger, sure, but her brain doesn't fail to notice the way Holtz's muscles leap beneath her touch slightly as she moves closer to the blonde. 

 

Her hand closes around something small and round and she pulls it out slowly. It's roughly grenade sized, all silver but for the glow of the reactive material contained inside. 

 

“Erin,” Holtz says slowly and calmly. “When I say so, I want you to pull that little pin on the side. It's pressure sensitive ok, so nothing's going to happen until it comes out of your pretty little hand, and even then you've got a four second delay.”

 

“Ok,” Erin says carefully as she takes out the pin slowly; not moving from Jillian's side. 

 

The weapon vibrates slightly in her hand, acknowledging that it's been armed and Holtz nods, acknowledging that she's recognised that too. 

 

“I really don't want to do this to your friends,” Holtz says to the ghost. “But if you don't back off you're not going to leave me a choice, ok?”

 

The ghost remains silent but she doesn't move, instead squeezing her fist harder and the wolves take another step. 

 

“Have it your way then,” Holtz says, gritting her teeth before she speaks to Erin. 

 

“Erin, I want you to throw that little toy between the two of them. I think their power is coming from her so if we can maybe concentrate the force on her we might stand a chance. We just need to distract our friends first.”

 

“Ok,” Erin says, nodding as she follows Jillian's logic. 

 

“You two ready?” Holtz says to Abby and Patty before they both grunt in reply.

 

“Alrighty then,” Holtz says with a grimace. “Whenever you're ready, Er.”

 

Several things happen very quickly then, the moment Erin lifts her arm and the ball rolls out off the edge of her fingertips. 

 

Erin watches as it moves through the air, the wolves and the ghost all following its arc, and for a second she thinks they're actually going to try and catch it in their mouths but then the ghost acts. 

 

The small light on the grenade goes yellow and then white before the tunnel is bathed in bright  _ bright _ light. 

 

It happens so fast but the ghost is quicker and she curls her fists towards her chest and both she and the wolves move in an instant, disappearing before Erin's eyes. 

 

The light is moving outwards but they're quicker and before Erin can take another breath the tunnel is dark again, and the ghosts are gone. 

 

“Son of a bitch,” Holtz growls, raising the barrel of her gun again, still on guard as Erin looks around her for a sign of the pale blue luminescence. 

 

She doesn't spot them though so allows herself to take breath, blowing it out between her teeth when it happens. 

 

The second the last of the light from Holtz's little grenade dissipates, the ghost reappears directly in front of Erin. 

 

One of the wolves materialises between Holtz and Erin growling dangerously while Holtz scrambles for a weapon looking horrified, and Erin can hear the other growling at Patty and Abby holding them back. 

 

Holtz is quick, manages to get a hand up to attempt to set one of the little EMP type devices she has strapped to the bicep of her suit but the ghost is quicker. She raises a hand and Holtz drops like a stone, clutching at her head as she groans in pain. 

 

“What the hell is going on….” Erin hears from somewhere to right before dual hisses of pain issue out from Abby and Patty and the voice ceases. 

 

Erin is absolutely terrified. 

 

She drops to her knees to get closer to Holtz but the wolf blocks her with a snarl as the ghost floats towards Erin with a dangerous expression. 

 

“Stop it, please,” Erin begs, her hands clutching at the dirt beneath her and her heart racing in response to Jillian's pained groan next to her. “What do you want? I'll do whatever you want, just make it stop.”

 

Her expression changes, softens even as she watches Erin's desperate glance towards Holtz. 

 

“Stop hurting her. Stop hurting them.  _ Please _ .”

 

The ghost moves her hand once more and the groaning stops, all of them falling silent and Erin's heart stills in her chest. 

 

“Oh god,” Erin says desperately. “What have you done?”

 

She's about to throw herself bodily at the wolf, danger to her body be damned when she sees Holtz move, her chest expanding as she breathes. 

 

“If you've hurt her I'm going to….”

 

She doesn't get a chance to answer though, because before she can do anything else the ghost moves towards her and Erin can only watch in horror as the ghost raises her hands to Erin's temples and then everything goes  **black** . 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the first little bit of action! 
> 
> (also, who else wants a wolf guard dog, huh?)
> 
> I'll have the next chapter up in a day or so - come say hi on [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com/) in the meantime if you'd like, or if you have any questions for me!
> 
> x


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin is shown something that will change her life forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've updated the tags and the warnings because this chapter does contain scenes that contain violence and involve a couple of wolves kicking horrible bad guy ass but ultimately also the demise of our young ghost friend. 
> 
> It’s not drawn out and is as tasteful as I could make it but it is still there so please feel free to skip if this isn’t something you’re comfortable with. I can send a little summary if you want to know plot details and you really don’t want to read.
> 
> I hope you enjoy regardless, it's obviously bittersweet but I really love this chapter too. 
> 
> x

-

 

 

She's cold.

 

That's the first thing Erin registers as she opens her eyes.

 

Cold. And damp.

 

She leans up on an elbow and feels the wet earth on the bare skin of her arm.

 

Wait, she thinks. Bare skin?

 

She sits up fully and it's dark but she can see well enough to know she's not in her own clothes, her jumpsuit gone and replaced with something closer in appearance to what the ghost had been wearing.

 

The ghost, Erin remembers suddenly and she spins, panicked.

 

She's there, maybe a few feet behind Erin waiting patiently as the wolves sit at her heels only she's not a ghost anymore. She's just a girl.

 

This makes Erin panic more and she tries to stand.

 

She can make contact with the ground fine, can feel it beneath her bare feet but the girl can too by the looks of things and Erin doesn't understand.

 

The aggression is gone. That's the next thing that Erin registers.

 

The wolves aren't howling or snarling, they're sitting placidly at her feet instead, watching Erin with a curiosity that isn't at all threatening and the girl is the same.

 

“Where am I?” Erin asks, although she's not really expecting an answer given the woman hasn't spoken to them at all yet.

 

She doesn't completely ignore Erin though, instead raising her hand to point to her head.

 

“I'm in your head?” Erin asks confused. “Wait, is this a memory? Are you showing me a memory?”

 

The girl smiles and nods, pleased with Erin's quick deduction but the smile doesn't hold long before she gestures down the hallway, and Erin feels her skin run cold as she realises what she's about to see.

 

A shadow of the girl runs towards them, a proper grey spectre who runs straight through the girl and Erin, tearing down the tunnel with the two wolves at her heels.

 

They're not chasing her though, they're following her, and Erin frowns, not quite understanding until she hears voices coming towards them.

 

Two men in an old military regalia follow, their footfalls heavy beneath their equipment and body armour.

 

Erin doesn't understand what they're saying but she doesn't think she needs to, the malicious look on their faces more than enough information for her to deduce what their intention is.

 

Erin steps aside, not wanting them to come anywhere near her even though she knows they can't hurt her, looking to the girl who grimaces as she follows their path down the tunnel.

 

She takes a few steps forward, gesturing for Erin to follow as they trace the footsteps of the spectre version of the girl.

 

They don't have to go far, the tunnel turns sharply and just beyond the bend Erin watches as a horrific scene lays itself in front of them.

 

The girl is on the ground, her foot trapped beneath a root as the wolves tear at it desperately with their teeth.

 

The men get closer and one of the wolves spins, snarling wickedly as the man draws his sword.

 

Erin turns her head away, not wanting to watch what unfolds next but the girl next to her shakes her head determinedly, so Erin grits her teeth and watches.  

 

The men take another menacing step forward and the girl on the ground is almost free but not quite and the wolves can tell there's not enough time either. Erin watches in horror as one of the wolves launches itself at one of the men, it's teeth making a beeline for his throat.

 

He falls back in surprise with a crunch of armour but he might as well be wearing tissue paper for the short work the wolf makes of it, its teeth tearing through the metal like a hot knife through butter and not for the first time Erin wonders if they've been strengthened with something like magic too.

 

It's awful to watch but Erin breathes an enormous sigh of relief when the man stops struggling beneath the writhing mass of fur.

 

The other man is watching in horror as the wolf moves away from the body towards him, his muzzle dripping with saliva and something else Erin doesn't want to acknowledge.

 

He takes a step backwards and the wolf follows and Erin can see him calculating, trying to weigh up his options.

 

She watches as he glances back down the tunnel before looking back to the wolves, and Erin sees his decision to go down with the blade in his hand settle across his shoulders.

 

He takes a step as the other wolf finally breaks through the root and the girl on the ground pulls herself free, standing up straight with a stature that goes far beyond her physical age.

 

She speaks, finally, and Erin doesn't recognise the tongue but somehow she understands.

 

“This is not your place,” the girl says, holding a hand out as one of the wolves settles at her side beneath it. “We guard this land for our children. And our children's children. This is not your place.”

 

“It is ours as much as it is yours,” he hisses in the same tongue. “We will take it all.”

 

“They might, but not you. These tunnels are deep and we are the only ones who know how far the veins go. You can spend the rest of your life trying to find your way out,” she says with a sad expression across her face, as though she regrets this in spite of the clear malice in his eyes.

 

“I will kill you and walk out the way I came,” he seethes.

 

“That is your choice?” the girl asks calmly.

 

He doesn't say anything in reply, just grits his teeth and sets his stance as he raises his sword.

 

There's a moment where nothing happens and Erin draws in a breath, and then everything happens at once.

 

The man throws himself at the girl but the wolves intercept him easily.

 

He's a better fighter than the other man though, clearly superior and stronger too, and the wolves struggle to pin him down.

 

Erin watches with a gasp as he manages to throw one of them off before lunging for the girl. The wolf closest to him stops it though, but they're too close now and he manages to get his thick armour clad bicep around the wolf’s neck.

 

The girl reacts immediately, throwing herself bodily on the man despite the fact that she's wearing little more than a muslin shift.

 

She latches onto his back, hammering blows with her fists on the top of his helmet and it's enough of a distraction that the hold on his arm loosens and the wolf can slip free.

 

The wolf gone, he takes a handful of her clothing and pulls hard throwing her onto the ground, and Erin feels the thud as the girl makes contact with the earth echo through her own bones.

 

The wolves rush him again but this time he's prepared and he pushes them both back, stunning one with a blow to the head. Erin watches in horror as the wolf drops to the ground, shaking its head groggily as the man takes a menacing step, raising his sword high.

 

The girl sees this too though and in an act that almost makes Erin scream, she throws herself between the man and the wolf.

 

Her gasp is almost silent as she falls to the ground again, crumbling in a heap of tanned skin and dirty dress and _red red red._

 

It maddens the wolves and they start snarling and snapping their jaws in a way that makes Erin's hair stand on end, and she watches as he realises the significance of his actions and what is about to happen to him.

 

Erin does look away then and the girl doesn't stop her as a symphony of teeth on metal fills the tunnel.

 

It doesn't last long, a minute or so at most and when Erin is sure it's over she looks back down, her eyes searching for the girl on the ground.

 

The wolves are at her side, close to give her the comfort of their contact. They're whining low as one of them tries to help, licking at her hands as they cover the wound but Erin can tell it's hopeless.

 

Because even in the low light of this dream Erin can see how pale she is and how dark the earth is beneath her, and the girl on the ground knows it too.

 

Erin watches, tears running down her face as the girl pushes at the wolf’s muzzle gently and it growls sadly in response. She threads her fingers through the rough hair at it's neck and it moves to lay its head lightly on her chest, above the wound on her stomach.

 

The other wolf settles down parallel to her facing the opposite way as it drapes it's paws and head over her lower legs, trying to keep her warm as she shivers.

 

It doesn't take long mercifully - the wound deep and critical - and Erin watches as she takes one last small breath and then the tunnel is filled with the sound of the wolves’ lament, low long howls that shake their way through the tunnels and make Erin's tears come free and fast, and Erin knows without asking that the sound will last for hours.

 

There is some solace in this for Erin, the thought that she was not here alone. With them by her side then, and now in death, she will never be alone again.

 

Erin turns to the girl and watches as she gestures from the wolves to her own heart and Erin knows without asking what she is saying, that they are a part of her as much as her own hand is.

 

“I could understand that but you still won't speak, will you?” Erin asks although she already knows the answer.

 

The girl shakes her head and Erin smiles, not feeling so scared any more.

 

“This is your home, isn't it?” Erin asks carefully. “This is where you need to stay?”

 

She nods before leaning down to take the earth between her hands, rubbing the dirt over her knuckles.

 

“And you'll protect it, won't you?” Erin asks, understanding. “Like you did then?”

 

The girl nods again, a frown across her features now.

 

“We don't want to hurt you,” Erin says carefully. “You or them. I don't want to make you leave if you need to be here but these people up there, they won't leave either.”

 

The girl frowns deeper and Erin bites her lip, thinking about her next move as carefully as she can.

 

“If I tell them to leave these tunnels forever, is that enough? Will that be enough for you?”

 

She nods slowly, waiting for a caveat from Erin.

 

“I don't think….” Erin starts before stopping to think. “I don't think they want trouble. They don't want to fight. And they certainly don't want to come down here. If you allow them to use the land above but stay away from this place, is that enough?”

 

Yes, the girl acknowledges, nodding deeply again and Erin can see the relief in the set of her shoulders.

 

That is enough.

 

She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes in relief and she feels the girl do the same next to her.

 

When she opens them the girl is watching her curiously, and Erin has the distinct impression that she wants to say something but she's not sure what, or how to articulate it.

 

“Thank you,” she says quietly trying to bridge that gap for her, wiping the last of her tears with the back of her hand. “For showing me. For making me understand.”

 

She holds her hand over heart and looks at Erin with an expression that radiates _thank you_ in response, and Erin smiles before dipping her head in acknowledgment.

 

The girl gestures down the tunnel as if to signal their departure and Erin nods gratefully in response.

 

She closes her eyes, feeling the girl's hand slide over the cool skin at her wrist, and then the feeling of her feet against the solid earth _moves_ , and they are gone.

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a short chapter but I wanted to break the ghost's backstory into one nice little section. I'll try and have the next chapter up tomorrow, life allowing.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, do pop by [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com/) if you want to come say hi or throw me a question too.
> 
> x


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin wakes up after her dream, the ladies discuss their next steps, and Erin and Jillian's relationship deepens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a chapter of fluff to warm your hearts after that last one. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> x

-

 

 

Erin wakes confused, the sensation of soft sheets beneath her back instead of cold earth throwing her off. 

 

She tries to sit up but gentle hands catch her half way when she falters, helping her into a sitting position. 

 

It's Jillian. 

 

Of course it's Jillian, Erin thinks with a jolt. Because she's never not jumped at the touch of someone else's skin on her own but she's never,  _ ever _ jumped at Jillian. 

 

The blonde is perched on the side of the bed that she'd slept on last night and Erin blinks a few times before she registers Abby and Patty sitting in chairs on the other side, too. 

 

“What happened?” Erin asks with a frown. 

 

“We were going to ask the same question,” Abby says with a matching frown. 

 

“What do you mean?” Erin asks, more than a little confused. 

 

“Yes, thank you Abigail,” Holtz says firing a scowl Abby's way. “We did say we'd explain our bit first.”

 

It's new, the little show of defensiveness from Holtz, and Erin feels a warm squeeze in her chest as Holtz rubs her palm lightly over Erin's back, not having moved from helping Erin up. 

 

“Sorry, Er,” Abby says before shuffling forward a little. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Ok,” Erin says a little surprised as she makes mental contact with her body as it rests in bed. “Just tired. What happened?”

 

“Holtzy can tell you what happened to you guys but we just heard you making that god-awful noise while that wolf was blocking us in stopping us from coming to you, and then that girl hit us with whatever she'd hit Holtzy with and we both dropped like stones. I think it only lasted for a minute but it felt like a damn long time. We heard you yelling, and then everything stopped. The wolves and her just disappeared but we couldn't wake you up. It was like she'd given you a sleeping potion or something,” Patty explains carefully. 

 

“Holtzmann was still out next to you and we thought she'd hit you both with something, but she came round once we gave her a prod,” Abby says with a little smile. “Once she was ok to get up we carried you up here, and have been waiting for you to come around since.”

 

“Have I been out long?” Erin asks a little concerned. 

 

“A couple of hours,” Holtz says carefully beside her. “We were just debating whether we should call a doctor or not. Do you feel like you need one?”

 

“I don't think so,” Erin says shaking her head in reply. “Thank you though. What happened with us? Was it the same?”

 

“Kind of,” Holtz says frowning. “You threw the grenade but that was about as useful as a match in a snowstorm, and then she did that head thing. I heard you pleading with her and then it stopped, thank god, and it was hard because my head was so fuzzy but I saw her walk up to you and put her hands on your temples and then she just vanished. I think I blacked out then and came too when Abby gave me a shake.”

 

“I'm not possessed,” is the first thing that comes out of Erin's mouth, and she's surprised to hear a soft laugh behind her. 

 

“Although that sounds exactly like what someone who was possessed would say, we already know that,”’ Abby says with a smile. 

 

“How?” Erin asks with a frown. 

 

“That little GPS beacon I had sewn into all of our suits,” Holtz says with a little smile. “It measures electromagnetic frequencies too. You know how we figured out anything paranormal throws the normal readings? Well I just made a little something that's sensitive to readings beyond an expected level. If they light up red, it means there's something hanging around us that's not supposed to be. And yours stayed green.”

 

“Did you know about this?” Erin asks turning to Abby and Patty who shake their heads. 

 

“That's clever, Jill. Truly,” Erin says genuinely impressed. “You've got to start telling us when you do things like this so we can say thank you, ok?”

 

She just shrugs her shoulders shyly behind Erin and ducks her head and Erin reaches back to put her hand on Holtz's knee briefly in an attempt to show her gratitude. 

 

Holtz does smile then, beaming at the contact, and she moves incrementally closer to Erin.

 

“What happened for you?” Patty asks seriously then, drawing Erin back to the matter at hand. “After she touched you? Anything?”

 

“Yes,” Erin says taking a deep breath. “She showed me how she died.”

 

“ **_What_ ** ?” All three of them say in response at once, shocked, and Erin tries not to sigh at the feeling of Holtz's hand stopping on her lower back. 

 

“It's gotta be a trick,” Patty says disbelievingly once Erin finishes telling her story. “Surely. It's gotta be her playing with us. Right?”

 

“It  _ could _ be,” Abby says shrugging her shoulders as she watches Erin carefully. “What do you think, Holtz?”

 

Erin watches as Jillian looks from Abby to Erin carefully, surveying the lines made by the frown of Erin's brow. 

 

“What do you think?” Holtz asks Erin quietly, as though the others were nothing more than a thought in the room, her eyes for Erin and Erin alone. 

 

“I don't think it was a trick,” Erin says to Holtz slowly. “I know it could have been, it's a great tactic really.  I can't tell you why but it just feels real, you know? Her pain felt too authentic to be anything other than real.”

 

“There you have it,” Holtz says simply, looking to Abby and Patty almost challenging them to question it. 

 

“That's it?” Patty asks Holtz. 

 

“That's it,” the blonde confirms. “Come on guys, half this job runs on our gut instincts. When has Erin ever been wrong?”

 

“Never,” Abby and Patty both say at the same time, and Holtz looks to Erin happily. 

 

“Good. There you have it then,” Holtz says easily, looking to Erin with a soft expression that Erin feels in the pit of her stomach. 

 

“What does that mean for us now though?” Abby asks the group. “Do we just leave? What are we going to tell the hotel manager?”

 

“Oh,” Erin says, remembering her last conversation with the girl. “I actually think I've already fixed that.” 

 

“What do you mean?” Abby asks Erin with a frown. 

 

“It's kind of hard to explain, I think it's easier if I show you?” Erin says with a little smile. “Tomorrow, we can go back down and I'll show you.”

 

“You want to go back down there?” Patty asks incredulously. “Erin, baby you're crazy. You sure that's really her in there?”

 

“You really want to go back, after what happened today?” Abby asks her with a slightly confused look. 

 

“Positive,” Erin says confidently. “We don't have anything to be scared about anymore.”

 

“Ok. If you say so,” Abby says with a still hesitant look on her face in spite of the finality in her voice. “If that's all decided then, I say we call it a night?”

 

“I'm beat,” Patty says nodding in agreement. “You sure you're alright baby? You don't want us to call someone just in case?”

 

“I think I'm fine,” Erin says smiling at Patty in response before turning to Holtz. “Besides, you'll stay with me, right?”

 

“I think I can suffer through another night of your company, Gilbert,” Holtz teases as she moves her hand up and down Erin's back softly. 

 

“Oh yeah, you're such a damn saint,” Erin snarks in reply, rolling her eyes as Abby snorts across the room. 

 

“Rather you than us, girl,” Patty says with a grin. “I don't think you could pay me to share a room with her. I'm surprised she hasn't scorched a hole in the wall up here yet.”

 

“Come on,” Holtz says defensively. “I'm not that bad.”

 

“Yes you are,” all three of them say in unison but Erin's smiling when she says it, and Holtz brightens irrespective of the jest. 

 

“Come on Abby,” Patty says as she looks between Erin and Holtz with a slightly knowing smile. “Let’s leave these two to….uh….sleep.”

 

“Try to behave,” Abby says with a wry smile to the two of them as she and Patty make their way to the door. “I'd quite like to be invited back, thank you very much.”

 

“No promises,” Holtz says to them as the door swings shut behind a swiftly pulled middle finger and Erin smiles as she hears Patty laugh as they walk away. 

 

Erin waits until they hear the voices disappear down the hallway before she moves, turning to face Holtz. She tries not to sigh at the loss of the warm hand on her back as Jillian lets it fall into her lap. 

 

They stare at each other for a moment, both sitting much closer than they need to, and Erin wants to say something but she's struggling to find the right words. 

 

Because Holtz may not have even known what she'd been doing but Erin has lived a life with no one in her corner and the difference it makes, even for two minutes is  _ breathtaking _ . 

 

Luckily, Holtz saves her the trouble of trying to pull words together to articulate that ridiculously complex piece of human emotion, leaning in a little closer so she can keep her voice quiet and soft. 

 

“Are you sure you're ok?” Holtz asks, clearly not buying Erin's earlier assurance. “It's ok to say if you're not too flash, Er. I can call a doctor now, we don't need to tell the others.”

 

“I think I'm actually ok,” Erin replies softly, resisting the urge to take the blonde’s hand. “Thank you though. I think I just need to rest.”

 

“Ok,” Holtz says taking Erin at her word. “You'll let me know if you change your mind?”

 

“Yeah,” Erin says softly, nodding. “Are you sure you're ok though? Whatever she was doing looked horrible, Jill.”

 

“I had a bit of a headache earlier but nothing a couple of Advil didn't fix,” Holtz says with a smile before her face turns serious and a little worried. “Do you want to talk about it at all? What she showed you?”

 

Erin pauses for a moment, rolls the offer across her shoulders and cracks her fingers before she shakes her head. 

 

“I don't think so,” Erin says quietly. “Maybe later? Would that be ok? If I wanted to talk about it later?”

 

“Anytime,” Holtz says softly as she reaches for Erin's hands, taking them gently in her own. “Day or night, ok?”

 

Erin doesn't say thank you because it doesn't feel like  _ enough _ , so she squeezes Jillian's hands in her own instead. 

 

She means to stop then, really she does. But Holtz is warm and close and reassuring and  _ soft _ and everything Erin's ever wanted in her life that she's been too damn afraid to admit to until right now, so she leans in. 

 

And she could almost laugh later at the ridiculousness of it all because she'd been aiming for Jillian's cheek, not her lips, but the blonde moves at the last second and they  _ connect _ . 

 

Jillian is kind and warm and reassuring in presence but she's all those things and  **more** in contact. 

 

Her lips are  _ soft, soft, soft _ and they're so carefully hesitant that Erin almost wants to sob because it feels like she's waiting for Erin to pull away. 

 

And this might have been an accident but it's a once in a lifetime one, and Erin wants to show her that she wants this more than a platonic peck on the cheek. 

 

Because she wants this in her bones and in her bed and between her fingers, so she does the only thing she can think of that will show that. 

 

She brings her hands up to brush along the line of Jillian's jaw before she sinks them into soft golden hair and  _ breathes _ . 

 

She feels the exact second Jillian realises what this means because she melts against Erin. The resistance breaks and she lets the bit between her teeth drop to the depths of the sea and lets Erin in. 

 

Erin deepens the kiss first because she knows Holtz won't push like that until she's sure so she does it for them, brushing her tongue lightly against Jillian's bottom lip and she feels the blonde shake in response before they part. 

 

Erin's tongue slides into Jillian's mouth as her hands pull lightly in Jillian’s hair and she groans in response, her self control snapping finally as her hands move from holding Erin's to resting over Erin's hips, hovering. 

 

Erin can feel them there not quite touching and it's better than any kiss she's ever had before because it's  _ Jillian Holtzmann _ but now she's had a taste she wants  **more** . 

 

Erin breaks them apart with a light groan, licking her lips tasting something vaguely minty from Holtz's breath. 

 

Jillian looks at her, waiting, cautiously soft in her patience and Erin smiles because god, she's beautiful. Erin smiles and she threads her fingers through Holtz's, settling them onto her hips as she leans in closer. 

 

“I'm not going to break, you know,” Erin says, whispering against Jillian's lips. 

 

“Are you sure?” Holtz asks, still cautious although the edge of her mouth is turned up in gentle hope. 

 

“Yes,” Erin breathes as she twists, sliding her body closer to the blonde where she's kneeling on the bed. “Are you?”

 

Holtz doesn't answer with words this time either, instead she kisses Erin back,  _ finally _ and Erin almost drops like a stone. 

 

Because it's long and hot and  **deep** and Holtz growls when Erin's hands take their place in her hair again. 

 

She spreads her fingers wide across the blonde's scalp when Jillian's teeth nip ever so lightly at her bottom lip, closing her fist slightly to tug and Holtz moans against her in response. 

 

She's not sure how they've gone from chaste to scorching in the space of about ten seconds but it's  _ deliciously _ good and Jillian's body seems to read hers and fit around the shape it makes perfectly, and Erin wonders how she ever thought this might not be what both of them were made to do. 

 

Jillian's hands flex wide over Erin's hips and pull her closer and Erin rolls into the movement willingly, scooting as close as she can to Holtz who's still on her knees next to Erin. 

 

Erin brings her knees up to twist as far as she she can in the constraints of the blankets on top of her, huffing slightly as they impede her. Holtz breaks away with a little laugh as she yanks at them, pulling them free so Erin can kneel up and pull Jillian closer to her. 

 

Holtz growls at their change in position, deepening the kiss as her hands slide around Erin's waist and Erin's thread around Jillian's shoulders. 

 

Erin can feel her heart hammering in her chest, voracious and nervous at the same time, and she can feel her palms itching with uncertainty around what to do next. 

 

Because theoretically she wants to slide her hands beneath Jillian's loose sweater but she's never actually done that before, and she doesn't know if it's quite as simple as that in practice. 

 

And as much as she wants this to keep going, Erin thinks they should probably be boring and responsible before this moves any further, and if they keep this up there's no way she's going to be able to stop them moving horizontal regardless of how lacking she is in experience. 

 

It's easier said than done however, because Jillian's hands slide a little lower, brushing the top of her ass and Erin's having trouble remembering why she ever wanted to stop this in the first place. 

 

Holtz breaks first though, saving Erin the trouble. Her forehead leans softly against Erin's as she gasps in an unsteady breath, her hands squeezing Erin's side in an attempt to stop them shaking like her chest. 

 

“Erin….I….” Holtz says nervously, her breath blowing lightly against Erin's lips. 

 

“Don't you dare apologise,” Erin growls, before Holtz can take that thought any further. 

 

“You sure?” Holtz says as she pulls away, face ducked and a little shy. “I'm sorry if that was too much, I just….I've wanted to do that for a little while and I….”

 

Erin kisses her again. 

 

Because mouthes are good for talking but they're good for kissing too,  _ better _ at that even. 

 

It's not heavy like the one before, it's soft, and they both inhale and exhale against each other as Holtz settles beneath Erin's hands. 

 

“Me too,” Erin says simply when they break away. 

 

“Really?” Holtz asks curiously. 

 

“Yeah,” Erin says a little shyly. “Really.”

 

“Oh,” Holtz says quietly, and it looks like a match striking behind her eyes, lighting something she'd only ever been carefully hesitant to hope for. “That's….oh….”

 

“Good?” Erin offers a little nervously. 

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says, looking up to her as her face splits in a smile. “Really good.”

 

It's a simple thing, being wanted by someone, but it's not something Erin's come across with any great frequency so the warmth that settles around the points of her body making contact with Jillian's are positively singing. 

 

“How long?” Erin asks with a shy smile. “How long have you wanted to do that for?” 

 

“A long time,” Holtz says crinkling her nose a little. “I thought you knew? That's why I was worried about us sharing a room, in case it, you know….made you feel uncomfortable.”

 

“Quite the opposite,” Erin says with a little laugh. “Me too, you know. Just after New York, I think.”

 

“Really?” Holtz asks, another little smile playing across her face. 

 

“Yeah,” Erin says smiling as she nods lightly. “You're incredible, Jill.”

 

“Am not,” Holtz says shyly, ducking her head in response. “You are though, Erin. Really. You're a hard person not to fall for, you know that?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Erin says sarcastically. “The dancing and intelligence and effortless flirting, that's a real easy thing to ignore. The tweed suits on the other hand….”

 

“You're impossible,” Holtz says rolling her eyes. “Learn to take a compliment, Gilbert.”

 

Erin looks not-annoyed for about four seconds before Holtz smiles as she leans in, kissing Erin again. 

 

She moves back after, a little self-satisfied at having shut Erin up so effectively so Erin leans back in in response, kissing Holtz a little less gently this time. 

 

Erin draws away again, wanting to gauge how far she can push back by the expression on Jillian's face and her breath catches when she sees the blonde looking a little lust-dumb back at her. 

 

Erin smiles then, her the self-satisfied one this time as she draws Holtz back to her with hands gentle on either side of her face. 

 

It's slow, for all of about five seconds, but then Erin inhales and Holtz's hands slip, accidentally or not she's not sure, to cover her ass and Erin can't stop the moan that falls into Jillian's mouth from her own. 

 

Holtz groans too, pulling Erin on top of her to straddle her thighs as she leans back into a sitting position. Her hands slide up Erin's back, pulling them flush together as Erin's hips come to rest against Jillian's and she feels something spark  _ bright _ between them. 

 

Erin breaks away with a gasp at that, her breasts pushing against Holtz's as she inhales sharply, her hips rocking and threatening to take what's left of her breath away. She leans back in hungrily, seeking Jillian's lips with a roar in her blood which the blonde meets before she breaks away with a gasp too. 

 

“Er, if we don't pull the breaks soon I don't think we'll be able to,” Holtz says heavily. “And as much as I really  _ really _ want to, I just….I don't want to rush it.”

 

Erin leans back heavily, trying not to let her disappointment show as her hands slide down the blonde's arms because Holtz is right. Holtz is almost always right, Erin thinks with a smirk. They  _ should _ take their time with this. 

 

“It's not because I don't want you, god Erin I do,  _ trust _ me. I just want to make sure this is something you want, too,” Holtz says soothingly as she leans in to kiss Erin again. 

 

“This won't change,” Erin says around Jillian's kisses. “I've wanted you for long enough, I know what I want. You're probably still right, though. I'm sorry if that was a little fast.”

 

“Don't apologise,” Holtz says shaking her head as she takes Erin's head in her hands. “It's not, I just think we should wait a little. For  _ that _ .”

 

“Tomorrow's an entirely new day, you know?” Erin says with a smirk on her face. “That long enough?”

 

“I'd say so,” Holtz says with a slightly dangerous smile. “If we can wait that long.”

 

It makes Erin flush a deep red and Holtz grins at the reaction, her hands sliding over the top of Erin's yoga pant clad thighs stopping just short of slipping around further and lower. 

 

Erin's about to lean in when her stomach rumbles loudly and they both break away with a smile, tension momentarily broken. 

 

“God. How's that for a mood-killer?” Erin asks, her head falling into her hands in embarrassment.

 

“Hey,” Holtz says, pulling Erin's hands away from her face with a smile. “The way to a woman's heart is through her stomach, didn't you know? Maybe this is all part of my plan to win you over, by showing you how well I can order off a room-service menu. Besides, I'm starving too.”

 

Holtz plants a kiss a piece on each of Erin's hands before she pulls back and Erin, very begrudgingly, rolls off her lap and onto the bed next to her. 

 

“Dinner?” Holtz asks, holding up the menu she pulls off the nightstand. 

 

“Sounds good,” Erin says with a smile, her fingers brushing over Jillian's as she takes it from her hands. 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kiss! I told you I wouldn't drag it out for too long ;)
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed a bit of sweetness. The next chapter will be up in a day or so with a bit more action. 
> 
> Be sure to come by and say hi on [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com) if you'd like, I put a wee question thing up the other day and I think there are a few numbers left if anyone's still curious!
> 
> x


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin and Jillian _talk_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> We're about half way! I hope you guys are all still enjoying, thank you so much for all the lovely comments and kudos so far, it's massive and you're all amazing. 
> 
> I'm not sure how this happened as I was writing because normally I'm a bit quicker with getting to the point (and I almost cut it out because it wasn't crucial to the story) but this is basically 4,000 words of foreplay.
> 
> I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not even a little bit because I think you'll maybe appreciate it anyway?
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> x

-

 

 

It's almost two hours later before they make their way through the last of the food, the trolleys overloaded with compliments of the hotel manager. 

 

They haven't told him everything yet, agreeing to wait until morning once Erin had taken them back down to explain everything before they did, but his excitement at them having come back alive has been almost as good as a straightforward victory. 

 

“Oh god,” Holtz says groaning as she pushes a plate with fruit and chocolate sauce drizzled over it away from her. “I don't think I could eat another bite if you paid me.”

 

“I did tell you to stop at the pizza,” Erin says smiling as she sits cross legged across from Holtz on the bed, popping a grape into her mouth with a smile before she sucks the chocolate sauce off her finger. 

 

Holtz looks up to her, expression of pain vanishing in a second as her eyes fix on Erin's mouth. 

 

“What?” Erin asks, worried. “Do I have something on me?”

 

Holtz doesn't say anything, just pushes the plate of food well off to the side as she crawls over to Erin. She kisses Erin hard, her tongue sweeping out to taste grape and strawberry and cocoa and she nibbles on Erin's lip before she leans back on all fours, licking her own darkly. 

 

“You had a little sauce….” Holtz says blankly as her eyes don't move off Erin's lips, her slightly wet finger sweeping over the edge of Erin's mouth for good measure. 

 

“Oh,” Erin says a little distracted as she follows Jillian's finger into her mouth. “Are you sure you got it all?”

 

“No,” Holtz says shaking her head. “Not confident at all.”

 

And just like that the dam they've built over the last two hours crumbles like dust in a hurricane and before Erin can so much as take a breath Holtz is on top of her, pushing her down into the bed. 

 

It was good before with Erin in her lap, but this is different. Because Jillian's lying with her full weight between Erin's legs and her hands are playing with the hem of Erin's top and they just fit so perfectly together Erin can't help the deep sigh that escapes her lips. 

 

“Ugh….” Holtz growls a second or so later, rolling off Erin with a dramatic huff. “Sorry, Er. I'm sorry. You're just…”

 

“Just what?” Erin asks curiously, leaning up on one side to look at Jillian next to her.

 

“I don't know….” Holtz says laughing a little. “Irresistible.”

 

“I am not,” Erin says dismissively, batting at Holtz's shoulder gently. 

 

“You are,” Holtz says dramatically, nodding. “One day I'll show you.”

 

“Tomorrow's one day,” Erin says a little flirtily. 

 

“Wow, brains  _ and _ beauty,” Holtz says teasing as she runs her fingers across the bare skin of Erin's shoulder. 

 

“Shut up,” Erin says playfully, her eyes moving over Holtz's face, down the length of her body. 

 

“Make me,” Holtz says with a wink.

 

“Don't make me make you,” Erin says with a growl. 

 

“Ah, see,” Holtz says sounding exasperated. “Irresistible. Can't freaking help myself.”

 

“That's not a bad thing,” Erin says with a smile. 

 

“It is when I'm trying to behave myself,” Holtz grumbles. “Who'd have thought you were such a flirt, Gilbert?” 

 

“I'm not,” Erin says blushing a little as Holtz fixes her with a heavy look. 

 

“You're doing a pretty damn good job to me,” Holtz says rolling her eyes as she sits up. “I'm going to lose my mind if I don't do something. Or my self control.”

 

“Sorry,” Erin says a little sheepishly as she sits up too, mirroring Holtz. 

 

“Don't apologise,” Holtz says with a smirk. “I love it, I'm just….god, you're  _ really _ pretty. You know that right?”

 

Erin ducks her head because no, she doesn't know. Not really. Objectively she knows she's not awful looking, but no one has ever made her feel beautiful before like Holtz does. 

 

“You are too,” Erin says genuinely, smiling softly. 

 

Holtz smiles but shrugs too before she leans in to press a quick peck to Erin's lips. 

 

“What I  _ am _ is in need of a shower,” Holtz says with a yawn. “And then bed, I think.”

 

Erin gives her a smile she knows is laced with more tension and desire than is strictly appropriate when they've just decided to try and keep their hands to themselves for the night, but it's so hard not to when Holtz is so close and she can finally touch and not just want. 

 

“To sleep,” Holtz clarifies, to which Erin frowns dramatically. 

 

“Er, you're killing me,” Holtz says flopping onto her back beside Erin. 

 

“I'm sorry,” Erin says genuinely, lying down to put her hand flat on the blonde's stomach. “I'm sorry, Jill. I just….I never thought I'd get to do this. It feels like a dream.”

 

“You're not the only one,” Holtz says turning to Erin with slightly glassy eyes. 

 

“We've got time,” Erin says softly and she feels the realisation settle deep in her chest. “We've got so much time now.”

 

She leans over, pressing a kiss with the weight of a thousand almosts and a million maybes and one diamond strong  _ yes _ that binds them all together to Jillian's lips, and they both shudder under its significance. 

 

“Go shower,” Erin says quietly when they break apart because it's quiet now, this moment between them, and she doesn't need to speak stronger than a whisper. “I'll be here when you get back.”

 

 

-

 

 

Really, Erin should have thought of the mechanics of Jillian showering in the room next to the room they're sharing for the night but she doesn't. 

 

Not until the blonde opens the door, a haze of steam following her as she looks for Erin. Her hair is wet around her shoulders, her skin beautifully flushed from the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around her. 

 

Erin tries to speak but fails spectacularly, managing a weak half-moan instead. 

 

Holtz smirks as she heads over to her bag, holding the towel closed with one precariously placed hand while she fishes around for a handful of clothes. 

 

“Sorry,” Holtz says, half-sheepishly as she follows Erin's reaction to her current state of undress. “I really did forget to take clothes in with me. Do you want me to change in the bathroom?”

 

Erin just shakes her head, not trusting her voice to come out clear and Holtz smiles in response. 

 

And Erin doesn't mean to stare, really, because she's forty-something years old and she's perfectly capable of reigning in her traitorous hormones, but Jillian is  _ beautiful _ . 

 

She's all soft, milky skin and it's such a juxtaposition to the sharp, bright energy Holtz normally exudes, it's much closer to the softness she seems to only show Erin. 

 

Holtz knows she's watching because she looks over her shoulder every few minutes as she negotiates trying to dress herself without showcasing too much flesh, catching Erin's eye with a look that says _ ‘I can feel your eyes on me like a weight and I like it a lot.’ _

 

She spins, finally half-dressed but Erin thinks this might be worse. 

 

Because she's wearing loose immensely comfortable looking sweatpants and a sports bra, a jumper in her hands ready to pull on but that's the issue. 

 

It's not  _ on _ . 

 

So all Erin can see is a flat, creamy stomach for  _ days _ and the combination of that with her hair down is just about enough to make Erin's brain short-circuit.

 

“You wanna….?” Holtz says, gesturing to the bathroom with a smirk as she follows the path of Erin's gaze before pulling her top on. 

 

“No. I mean, yes. Yes. Shower. Right,” Erin says shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. 

 

“If you want to forget to take stuff in with you that'd be fine with me too,” Holtz says with a perfect air of nonchalance. “Just saying.”

 

Erin laughs, breaking the tension as she grabs a change of clothes. 

 

“Nice try,” Erin fires at Holtz as she walks past her on the way to the bathroom, the scent of vanilla and something vaguely musky running under her nose. 

 

They're standing close now and Erin knows she should keep moving but it feels like the thing dragging them together has anchored her to the floor. 

 

“You smell nice,” Erin says before she can stop herself and Holtz smiles a little shyly as she moves to wind a bit of Erin's loose hair behind her ear. 

 

“I left it all in there, help yourself,” Holtz says quietly, and Erin's half expecting her to make a joke or jest but she doesn't, all her energy focused on Erin and Erin only, instead. 

 

The words  _ ‘come with me’  _ are on the tip of her tongue and it takes a conscious effort to stop them coming forward because as much as she wants that now, Jillian is right, they don't need to rush anything tonight and this will only be the sweeter for waiting. 

 

“See you soon,” Erin says instead, her eyes dropping to Jillian's lips before she drags herself away, trying not to let her blood sing too loud when she hears Holtz exhale heavily behind her. 

 

She clicks the door shut before turning the water in the shower on, taking a moment to survey the beauty of the room while it runs hot. 

 

The floor and wall are tiled marble, all black and grey, and Erin exhales in relief, the dark colour soothing her hammering heart a little. 

 

It's moody and the lights have a dimmer and she almost groans when she finally steps under the steaming hot water, her eyes fluttering closed in ecstasy at how relaxing it is. 

 

She lets the water run through her hair before she bends down to pick Holtz's shampoo up, breathing the soft scent in slowly as she moves it through her hair with her fingers. 

 

It's a surprisingly thoughtful touch, bringing her own toiletries, and not for the first time Erin marvels at how vastly different the real Jillian is to the one she'd taken in at face value when they first met. 

 

Because the real Jillian is the one who pins her hair meticulously each day before she comes into work and applies that subtle red coat of lipstick before Erin sees her, the one who files her nails to a perfect roundness that Erin notices when Jillian hands her the whiteboard marker she drops on an almost daily basis. 

 

The real Jillian, the one Erin sees is the one who takes greater care with small aspects of herself than most people give her credit for, and Erin falls a little harder for that. 

 

She waits until the water from the shower runs clear before applying a liberal amount of the body wash Holtz left for her to use, trying to wash the memory of the day from her skin. 

 

Not the memory of Jillian. Not of small, gentle hands on her skin - but the smell of damp earth and tragedy instead. 

 

Erin has tried to keep the girl from her mind until now but she knows she needs to let her in at some stage, because it does them both an injustice not to. 

 

Because she must have seen something special in Erin beyond what she could see in the others, to have chosen  _ her _ to show the vision to, and Erin needs to treat this with the significance it deserves. 

 

There isn't anything else she can do tonight though, her work will come tomorrow when she takes the others down to meet the girl, and again when she convinces the hotel manager to abandon the tunnel system forever. 

 

To lock the door and let Erin take the key and promise  **never** to open it again. 

 

Erin doesn't believe in god. She doesn't believe in any sort of omnipresent deity driving the world from the stars but she does believe people make decisions for a reason, and more importantly now she believes she of the four of them was the one meant to see what needed to be seen. 

 

And for once, she has power to do something. To  _ influence _ . So she intends to deliver the peace to this girl that was denied her in life. 

 

She closes her eyes, leaning her back against the cold tiles of the shower not under the stream of warm water and lets her breath catch heavily in her chest, grounding her. 

 

_ Calming _ her. 

 

She sighs deeply and lets her thoughts of the girl wash away with her exhalation, down the drain and off her body, for now, and she lets the scent of Jillian, calming and soft but  **strong** line her lungs instead. 

 

It's terrifying, this new development with her, but it's everything Erin's ever dreamed of all at once and she thinks of the girl and how easily life and possibility and hope can be lost and it strengthens her resolve to foster this spark between them, already more solid than anything Erin's ever had with another person in her life. 

 

She makes a decision then, shutting the water off suddenly desperate to set eyes on Jillian again, to make sure this evening hasn't been a wonderful hallucination, taking a breath as her it runs through her blood strengthening her resolve. 

 

She squeezes the water out of her hair, running her fingers through it as she towel dries the heavy drops off, doing the same to her limbs before she wraps the towel around her naked body, leaving the pile of clothes in the bathroom without a backwards glance. 

 

 

-

 

 

She pulls the door back into the bedroom open, the cooler air hitting her warm body throwing goosebumps along the lines of her shoulders. 

 

“Hey,” Holtz says with a wide soft smile from where she sits cross-legged on the edge of the bed, plaiting her hair in a braid over her shoulder. Her smile stays broad as Erin walks towards her, levelling out in uncertainty and a hint of confusion when Erin doesn't stop. 

 

“Er, what….?”

 

She doesn't have a chance to finish the sentence though because Erin's lips press against hers and a new star is born. 

 

It probably has something to do with the fact that she's just come out of a scalding hot shower so her body feels lighter than normal anyway, but Jillian's lips touch hers and she feels  _ weightless _ . She had bent down slightly to meet Jillian's lips but at the first touch Holtz stands slowly to meet her, her hands coming to rest just over Erin’s hips. 

 

The kiss is slow and long but chaste and Holtz breaks away first,  her hands coming up to rest on Erin's upper arms. 

 

“What are you….?” Holtz asks confused. “I thought….”

 

“I don't want to wait,” Erin says heavily. “I know what I want Jill, and it's you. I just want you. That's not going to change whether we wait a day or a year, ok?”

 

She watches then as Jillian's face changes, moves from slightly worried to touched and then excited and finally something closer to the feeling that's pounding in Erin's own palms. 

 

“Me too,” Holtz says with a smile as her thumbs rub soft shapes on Erin's biceps. “I just don't want you to feel like this was rushed.”

 

“I won't,” Erin says as she leans in to press a whisper soft kiss to Jillian's lips. “We can go slow. Take our time. You can show me….I mean….I haven't….”

 

“It's ok,” Holtz says quietly as she leans in to return the kiss. “It's ok. I'll show you.”

 

“You will?” Erin says, suddenly shy and very aware of her state of undress. 

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says with a smile that meets her eyes and Erin softens at the sincerity there. And the heat. “I will.”

 

And then all of a sudden Erin's nervous, the heat and boldness starting to fade from her body in the face of her inexperience. 

 

“It's easy,” Holtz says gently, reading Erin's hesitation seamlessly. “If you still want….”

 

“I want,” Erin says quickly. “I do, I just don't know what to do. I don't want to do anything wrong.”

 

“Oh, Er,” Holtz says gently. “You won't.”

 

“But I….”

 

“You  _ won't _ ,” Holtz says more firmly. “Just….take a deep breath, ok?”

 

Erin does, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, drinking in the way Holtz's hands move up and down her arms soothingly. 

 

It works beautifully, the feeling of Holtz in front of her grounding her and she bites her lip, her mind drifting to what it would feel like for her hands to move across the rest of her body. 

 

It's possibly the lip biting that does it, or the fact that she's in a towel, but she hears a broken breath move its way out of Jillian's chest and before she knows it a soft thumb is tracking a way along the line of her jaw bringing them together for a kiss that is neither short nor chaste. 

 

It's long and deep and soul rattling, and when they pull away Erin can only imagine how heavy the blush is across her chest and shoulders - exceedingly, if the pink of Jillian's cheeks is anything to go by, and Erin can't help but feel a little pleased at the reaction she's managed to garner from the blonde. 

 

“It seems like sacrilege to suggest it but you can get changed if that'll make you more comfortable?” Holtz says, actively trying to keep her eyes up and above the line of the towel as it frames the top of Erin's breasts. 

 

“I mean I  _ can _ ,” Erin says slowly, feeling a little braver now. “It seems a little counterproductive, but if that's what you want….”

 

“No,” Holtz says shaking her head as she gulps heavily. “Uh-uh. Not unless you want to.”

 

“I don't,” Erin says shaking her head softly. “I'm just a bit….”

 

“Don't be,” Holtz says shaking her head again. “You’re beautiful Erin.  _ Stunning _ .”

 

“I'm not….”

 

“You  _ are _ ,” Holtz says again, leaning in to press a loaded kiss to Erin's lips. “You have no idea.”

 

“Really?” Erin asks a little shyly. 

 

“Yes,” Holtz says with a firm nod. 

 

And Erin struggles with this, because she's never been the prettiest or the skinniest, or whatever ridiculous societal demand on women was in vogue at any given point in her life, but Holtz looks at her like she's the moon after years of clouds at night and she needs the glow to  _ live _ and it makes Erin feel wanted. 

 

And brave. 

 

“Show me?” Erin says and it's like dropping a lit match in a pool of gasoline because this living breathing thing moves from Jillian's chest over her heart down her arms and into Erin, and for the first time in a long  _ long _ time, she feels  **alive** . 

 

“Yes,” Holtz breathes as she takes Erin's face between her hands and kisses her until she sees lights behind her eyes. “Yes, yes, yes.”

 

Holtz spins them, turning them so she can walk Erin backwards and they break apart with a gasp when Erin's legs hit the bed. 

 

“Ok?” Holtz asks, her hands light on Erin's shoulders. 

 

Erin leans in, threading her fingers through Holtz's still damp hair as she brings them together for a kiss with more tongue than Erin's ever had in her entire life, smiling a little smugly at the blank look on Jillian's face when they part. 

 

“Yes,” Erin says for the sake of explicitness but it's clear to them both how much they want this now. 

 

Holtz smiles and it's like the breaking dawn changing the shape of her body, and Erin doesn't think she's ever seen something as beautiful. 

 

The smile turns though, slightly heavier and laced with the heat Erin can feel moving into her from the points their bodies are touching and she shivers as Holtz shifts them, pressing Erin down into the bed with an exquisite gentleness as she moves to straddle Erin's hips. 

 

Holtz leans down pressing a kiss to Erin's lips, and cheek, and shoulder, before she leans back on her heels to look down at Erin. 

 

“Ok?” Erin asks this time, a frown sitting just under her skin.

 

“Yes,” Holtz says smiling softly at Erin. “I just….I don't know….wanted to remember, maybe? Is that silly?”

 

“No,” Erin says as she leans up on her elbows to meet Holtz. “Not silly at all.”

 

They kiss and it's soft and gentle and  _ aching _ and Erin tries to listen to the sound their blood makes together as it pulses through their joint hands. 

 

“I think you're maybe wearing a little too much though,” Erin says as she bites her lip, her hands moving to grip the edge of Holtz's jumper. 

 

“You do, do you?” Holtz says, feigning obliviousness. “Well, maybe you should do something about that.”

 

She smiles, playful but sultry and Erin tugs on the fabric, smirking against Holtz's lips as she falls into Erin. 

 

Erin works the top up when they part, Holtz lifting her arms obligingly as Erin pulls it over her head tossing it carelessly behind them and Erin's pleasantly surprised to find she's still only wearing the plain sports bra underneath, a warm expanse of soft white skin waiting for her. 

 

“That wasn't….?” Erin asks smirking as she thinks to earlier in the night. 

 

“Part of the plan?” Holtz asks with a raised eyebrow. “No way, I’d never assume….I mean it's a happy coincidence but….”

 

“You're a gentleman,” Erin says with a smile as she leans in to kiss Holtz again, wiping the worried expression off her face. “I get it. Now kiss me again, will you?”

 

“Yes ma'am,” Holtz says with a smile in her voice and a spark in her eye as she pushes Erin back down on the bed gently, her arms moving up to frame Erin's head. 

 

It's soft and languid and it feels like Erin's entire body's turned liquid and then Holtz shifts, leaning lower up on an elbow so she can trace pretty patterns across the bare skin of Erin's arms and shoulders as they kiss. 

 

She's not sure how long they stay like that for, Holtz half draped over her, kissing her so thoroughly she forgets which way the moon is but it's long enough for her skin to start to heat, her hand weaving into Jillian's hair to pull her closer because suddenly she's so close but it's not  _ enough _ . 

 

Holtz feels the change too, smiling against Erin's lips as she pulls back. 

 

“Hi,” Holtz says, her hair a little messy and her eyes dark. “You're ridiculously attractive. I think a towel might be this season’s next must-have fashion accessory.”

 

“Yeah, your track pants aren't too bad either,” Erin says with a smile as she runs her hands down Jillian's sides, snapping the elastic playfully when her hands reach the blonde's hips. “You still feel overdressed though.” 

 

There's a beat between them and Erin knows this is it, the step she has to take herself, because she wants to show Holtz that she's scared, yes, but it's nothing compared to how much she wants her. Nothing compared to how long she's spent trying to imagine what it would be like if she ever got to run her hands over Jillian's skin like this. 

 

_ (The answer is more than Erin can articulate with the English language, longer than the universe has room for and better than anything she could imagine, but she doesn't say that yet)  _

 

Holtz looks at her, pausing, waiting to see if and how Erin's going to play her hand and Erin takes a certain amount of pride in the way she seems to catch Holtz off guard with her next step. 

 

Because she dips her hands beneath the elastic of Jillian's pants, coming to rest against warmer skin than before and a softer cotton and she looks up to Holtz for an ok to find her biting her lip and Erin's wrong,  _ this _ is the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. 

 

“Jill,” Erin says gently, taking her own lip between her teeth when the blonde's eyes flutter open. “Can I….?”

 

“Yes,” Holtz says heavily, her voice little more than a moan. “Yes Er,  _ please _ .”

 

They sit up so Holtz can stand between Erin's legs at the edge of the bed and Erin thinks this must be what a spiritual awakening feels like because it's otherworldly, the power she can feel rolling between her shoulder blades as she pulls the track pants down Jillian's legs. 

 

She helps Holtz step out of them, dragging her nails lightly up the outside of her calves and then thighs as she moves her hands up to sit atop Holtz's hips over matching cotton. 

 

“Never thought you'd be one to coordinate,” Erin says with a teasing smile as she runs her thumbs over the curve of Jillian's hip bone. 

 

“Sharing a room with a pretty girl,” Holtz says with a shy shrug by way of explanation. “Besides, there's a lot you don't know about me.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Erin asks intrigued. “Like what?”

 

“I don't know?” Holtz says smiling. “Like my legs are ticklish.”

 

“They are not,” Erin says with a smile as she reaches down again, grin widening as she watches Holtz shiver beneath her light tough. “And here I was, thinking that was all me.”

 

“Well, it is mostly but I'm a little sensitive too,” Holtz says, squirming as Erin traps her between her thighs, hooking her heels behind Holtz's legs. 

 

“What else,” Erin asks with a smirk, her arms wrapping around Jillian's waist as she looks up to her. 

 

“What do you want to know?” Holtz asks with a smile that frames her eyes. 

 

“ _Everything_ ,” Erin says, and the significance of her words sets their skin alight as she pulls Jillian back down to her. 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's very mean to end it there but I had to somewhere!
> 
> The next chapter is pretty much all smut and I'll try get it up in a day or two, so bear with me ;)
> 
> In the meantime come say hi or flick me any questions on [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com), I don't bite - promise!
> 
> x


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin and Jillian **touch**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's another chapter where things happen but the plot moves exactly nowhere. Well, actually I guess you could kind of consider their relationship progression plot development...
> 
> I'm trying to justify smut. I'm going to stop. 
> 
> Enjoy...
> 
> x

-

 

 

Jillian is meticulous in her movements, Erin learns. 

 

She covers every inch of Erin's bare skin with kisses and soft whispers with her lips, almost as though she was following an invisible guide only she can see. 

 

Erin still has the towel wrapped around her, still held closed by some miracle although it's slowly working it's way further and further up her thighs as Holtz lays between them, her fingers drawing lazy circles on the skin above Erin's knee. 

 

Holtz abandons her mouth for a moment, her teeth nipping lightly at the sensitive skin of Erin's neck before her lips close more firmly and Erin can almost feel the blood rushing to the surface in the wake, Erin’s hand curling in blonde hair and tugging as her mouth falls open in a moan. 

 

“Jill, I….” Erin half-gasps as Holtz pulls back with a smirk on her face, not sure how to articulate what it is she wants. 

 

Their eyes meet and Jillian's hand slides a little higher up Erin's thigh, slipping beneath the edge of the towel as her eyes drop and then find Erin's again, looking for something to tell her to  _ keep going _ . 

 

Erin nods, rolling her body up against Jillian's as her hands draw the blonde's mouth back to her own, her tongue sliding into Jillian's with an ease that feels like they've been doing this for  _ years _ . 

 

Jillian makes the journey up the inside of Erin's leg with a torturous slowness, so much so that Erin's almost at breaking point by the time Jillian finally touches her. 

 

Her fingers slide against a hotter heat than Erin's ever had between her thighs and Erin can't help the jump of her body then, her towel falling open with the movement. 

 

She almost reaches up out of reflex but she catches sight of Jillian's face as she appraises the newly revealed skin, her eyes flicking up to Erin's as if to say  _ ‘is this ok’ _ and Erin nods again, the strength of her voice somewhere on the floor with Holtz's clothes as she watches the blonde take all of her in. 

 

Holtz leans down, pressing soft slow kisses to the swell of Erin’s breasts as she murmurs intricacies to Erin's heart. Erin's hand moves, holding Holtz to her chest when she starts to shuffle lower, the gasp falling easily when Jillian's lips finally slip around her nipple. 

 

“You're beautiful, Erin,” Holtz breathes as her fingers start moving, drawing slow circles between Erin's thighs. “Beautiful.  _ God _ , I could do this all day.”

 

“What?” Erin asks, her voice shaky. “Tease?”

 

“Yes,” Holtz says smirking against Erin's throat. “And more.”

 

“More,” Erin says and it's almost half a prayer because Holtz dips her fingers low, brushing at Erin's entrance and she feels like her whole body is on fire. “More, Jill. I want more.”

 

“This?” Holtz asks teasingly, the tips of her middle and ring finger slipping lower. 

 

“Yes,” Erin moans as her eyes flutter closed. “ _ Yes _ .”

 

She can feel Holtz drawn back, presumably to watch the expression on Erin's face when she finally gives in, and she must not disappoint because Holtz brushes her clit as one finger, and then two slide in effortlessly and they both moan together. 

 

Erin's mouth falls open at the sensation, her body shifting to accommodate the slight stretch because it's been awhile since she's had someone this close to her but she feels her body open, pulsing around Jillian's fingers as it  _ remembers _ . 

 

Holtz pauses, waits for Erin to give her some signal to start moving again so she gives it, pushes her hips against the blonde's hand, smiling when she hears Holtz gasp at the way her body  _ pulls _ . 

 

“Jesus, Erin,” Holtz whispers against her as she starts to draw her fingers out before moving back in slowly, learning as she listens to the way Erin's body pulls taut against her own. 

 

She's a quick study, catching the way Erin's breath hitches when she curls her fingers, or the way she squirms deliciously when Holtz takes her breast in her mouth as she thrusts in and Erin doesn't know what to do other than pull the blonde closer and closer to her, her nails drawing what Erin imagines to be pretty pink lines up and down her back, carving tiny half moons when Jillian hits a particularly sensitive spot. 

 

It doesn't take long then before Erin starts to feel a flutter in the pit of her stomach and she clenches her teeth because she doesn't want to come yet, she wants to make this last. 

 

Holtz reads her body easily, smiling as she elongates the thrusts and looks down at Erin. 

 

“You don't have to hold it back. I'm not going to stop at one you know,” the blonde says with a smirk as she punctuates her next words with kisses. “Or two. Or four. Or eight.”

 

“How did….” Erin gasps, biting her lip and falling silent when Jillian curls her fingers with a particular flourish on her next thrust in. 

 

“Oh, Erin,” Holtz says with a brilliant smile. “There's so much to show you. So much.”

 

She leans down low again, flattening herself against Erin as she thrusts harder,  _ faster _ , taking Erin's neck between her teeth. 

 

“With my hands, and my mouth and my body.  _ So _ much.”

 

She seems to have made the decision to turn the dial up to scorching, to cast petrol on the fire between their bodies and throw Erin headlong off the cliff she's driving her towards and it's still softer, more cautious and gentler than anything Erin's ever felt before. 

 

That's what does it in the end, the first time at least, the softness of the way Jillian's lips brush against her pulse point and the strength with which she pushes into Erin, two fingers and the weight of her arm behind the thrust. 

 

The combination short-circuits every synapse in her body and she comes with her hands in Jillian's hair and her nails in her back. It's heavy, roaring through her blood like a tiger off its chain after a life of captivity, and it's all Erin can do to hold on. 

 

She clenches tight around Jillian's fingers and she feels the blonde shudder at the action, pulling her up to crash their mouths together as Holtz works her back from the edge. 

 

“Jesus, Jillian,” Erin gasps when she can finally draw in a breath that doesn't feel like it's stolen immediately by her body. 

 

Holtz drapes herself over Erin's side, her hand drawing little circles between the curve of her hip bone and the dip where her thigh meets her torso as she lays small kisses over Erin's shoulder. 

 

“Ok?” Holtz asks a little quietly and Erin looks up in surprise at the uncertainty in her voice. 

 

“Terrible,” Erin says with a wide smile. “Definitely not the best thing I've ever felt in my entire life.”

 

“Yeah?” Holtz asks with a small smile. 

 

“Yes,” Erin says easily. “Couldn't you tell?”

 

“I thought….” Holtz starts, shrugging with uncharacteristic shyness. “I just….wanted it to be good.  _ Really _ good, because it's you and it's not like I've been dreaming of this for months or anything and….”

 

Erin surges up, taking the uncertainty from Jillian with her tongue, drawing it into her lungs and sending it back full and sure when she pulls away. 

 

“I think….just to be sure I mean….” Holtz says as she pulls back a little, starting to move down Erin's body before sliding down between her thighs. “I'd better do that again. I'd hate for you to have to draw a conclusion based on one data set.”

 

Her hair, almost dry now, fans out beautifully across Erin's stomach as she tracks lines down the smooth skin, nipping at Erin's hip bone before she moves closer and closer. 

 

And Erin kind of pauses, holds her breath then because this isn't something that has ever been done well before, past lovers passing too quickly, or the rough scratch of facial hair making her wince but this is  _ nothing _ like that. 

 

Jillian's hands are smooth and gentle as they pull one of Erin's calves over her shoulder, her hands coming to rest on the top of Erin's thighs as her arms loop underneath Erin's legs. 

 

She looks up, meeting Erin's eyes with a wink before she moves lower, closing her mouth over Erin and Erin's whole body just goes slack. 

 

Because this is nothing like before. Incomparable and unbelievably different. Because Jillian's mouth is keen, her tongue firm and then soft and she breathes in Erin like she's the elixir of life and Erin can only shudder beneath her. 

 

Erin’s hands move above her at some stage, desperately searching for something to make purchase with to try and ground herself because if Erin thought Jillian was good with her hands, she's a maestro with her tongue. 

 

One hand winds roughly in the blankets above her head as the other threads in Jillian's hair and she moans against Erin at the contact, the vibrating pushing Erin further and further along the road to her release.  

 

One of Jillian's hands moves from Erin's thigh to palm at her breast and Erin's mind spins at her ability to multitask, rolling Erin's nipple between her fingers as her mouth never slows. Holtz's tongue is strong, swirling lines and circles and then she dips inside,  _ just _ , and the sensation is almost more than Erin's body knows how to process. 

 

The second release is like slipping down a bank under loose earth, all at once, taking her feet from under and her breath quick from her lungs. 

 

She writhes against Jillian's face, doing her best to try and keep some sense of decorum but failing miserable because Holtz encourages the chaos, pulls Erin down more firmly against her mouth as she comes, taking everything Erin gives. 

 

She's hot by the time Holtz crawls back up her body, a bead of sweat rolling between her breasts as Holtz wipes delicately at her mouth before Erin has the chance to pull them together, keen to show Holtz she has no fear of tasting herself on the other woman's lips. 

 

“Terrible,” Erin repeats with a moan as Jillian's thigh bumps against her core by accident and the blonde smiles again. 

 

“No way,” Erin says leaning up to push Holtz onto her back, throwing a leg over her to keep her pinned there. “It's my turn.”

 

“You don't have to,” Holtz offers easily as Erin leans down and kisses her hard, drinking in the waves of euphoria waltzing around the two of them. 

 

“I want to,” Erin says with more confidence than she feels. “You'll tell me what to do? What you like, I mean?”

 

“I like you,” Holtz says with a smirk before she pulls Erin in for a kiss that leaves them both breathless and steals some of Erin's worries. 

 

She takes the opportunity while they're kissing to slide her hand down between their joint bodies to toy with the elastic at the top of Jillian's underwear. 

 

God, Erin doesn't know how many times she imagined what this moment would be like if they ever found their way to each other like this but whatever picture she had in her head, whatever earth-shattering image she had conjured in the dark as her hand slid between her own thighs is  _ nothing _ on the real thing. 

 

Because her hand slips beneath soft cotton and into a waiting heat that actually makes Erin moan. 

 

“Jill….” she stutters. “You're….”

 

She's touched herself plenty of times, knows what it's like to move against slick warmth but it's breathtaking when it's someone else. 

 

“You can stop….” Holtz offers weakly as Erin's fingers pause. “If it's too much. If you don't want to….”

 

Erin's not having any of it though, smiling hungrily with only a hint of nervousness as she looks down at Holtz and starts to move her fingers again. 

 

Really, she has absolutely no idea what she's doing, can only emulate what she likes doing to herself, and now what she likes Jillian doing to her. So she starts slow, experimentally. Carefully taking mental notes of the way Jillian reacts to each movement of her fingers, how she bites her lip and pops her hip when Erin moves over a particularly sensitive area. 

 

She starts working against a rhythm in her head, set in time with the throb of Jillian beneath her hand and after a minute Holtz's mouth falls open in a moan. 

 

“Jesus, Erin,” Holtz gasps when Erin's fingers dip low testing the source of wet warmth, and Erin can't help the smirk that graces her features. “Yeah, I think you'll do just fine.”

 

“Is this ok?” Erin asks as her fingers swirl just above Jillian's entrance and Holtz bites her lip this time, rolling her hips up. 

 

She takes her hand from bunching tightly in the fabric below them to thread into Erin's hair, pulling her down for a bruising kiss. 

 

“Yes,” Holtz says as she guides Erin's hand lower, gasping quietly as one of Erin's fingers slide easily in. 

 

And god, if she thought it was good before it's nothing on the feeling of Jillian around her, hot and responsive. 

 

She starts pulsing slow, curling her finger occasionally like she had felt Holtz to do to her and watching pleased when it breaks a new blush over Holtz's shoulders. 

 

It's then that Erin realises she's still wearing far too many clothes so she draws her hand back, slipping her thumbs under the waistband of Holtz’s underwear as she looks up to the blonde who nods before Erin drags them down her legs. 

 

She crawls back up Jillian's body before pulling her up as she slides the straps of her bra down over her shoulders and Holtz reaches back, unclipping the catch so Erin can drag the garment off her fully.

 

“No fair,” Erin says with a pout. “I wanted to do that.”

 

“Next time,” Holtz says with a smile as she brings their lips together again and Erin slides her palms over the smooth expanse of Jillian's back as she sits perched over her hips. 

 

Erin pushes Holtz back down gently and Holtz looks up at her with a softness and hunger that makes Erin want to take everything she has to offer, but to give everything too. 

 

But then she looks,  _ properly _ looks at the women between her thighs and it takes the pulse out of her fingertips. 

 

She's seen herself naked, obviously, has seen other women from time to time too but never in this context before. And even if she had, even if she'd had more experience with the same sex she doubts it would have prepared her for the sight below her. 

 

Because Jillian is soft lines with steel beneath her skin in areas where their day job demands strength. Her stomach is flat and her shoulders are hard, the lines of muscles flexing as she reaches up for Erin, her hands settling on Erin's hips. 

 

She's seen those areas before though, has seen flickers of them in the summer when Jillian drops the layers from her body, or as they change in preparation for a bust. They're still stunning, will be Erin's favourite body parts in years to come but they're not the prize tonight. 

 

No, the blue ribbon waiting for her is the beautifully pale skin in front of her now, unmarred and unmarked, waiting for Erin to do with it as she pleases. 

 

It's with an abject curiosity that she looks over Jillian bare below her then, appraising the surprisingly rounded flesh waiting for her to touch. 

 

Erin's hesitant at first, her thumb sweeping over the swell of the bottom of a breast before Jillian's breath hitches as Erin brushes over her pebbled nipple. 

 

And she’s taken with the way the skin moves in her wake, curious suddenly to taste so she bends down, smiling against the skin when Holtz moans loud in response. 

 

It also becomes impossible to ignore the other area Jillian is now bare too because her hips jump sharply at the touch of Erin's mouth and it brings them into contact lower down. It's fleeting, the touch of skin to skin, but the throb it produces is powerful and Erin looks down between them in wonderment as Holtz meets her heavy gaze. 

 

“Later,” Holtz says with a smirk laced with so much possibility it makes Erin hungry. “I'll show you later.”

 

“I think I want to hold you to that,” Erin says with a heavy breath as she leans back down, bringing her mouth to Holtz's other breast. 

 

She nips a little at the less sensitive skin this time,  _ bolder _ , and notes the way Jillian reacts when she pulls back slightly, blowing gently onto the skin where her mouth was a moment ago. The effect is instant and Holtz clenches trying to bring her legs together to create some sort of friction but Erin presses her weight down more firmly, blocking the movement. 

 

“Impatient,” Erin clucks teasing, leaning down to hold Jillian's hands above her head. 

 

“You know for someone who's never done this before, you've sure got a lot of sass,” Holtz says with a slightly amused grin. “And skill.”

 

“What are you insinuating,  _ Jillian _ ?” Erin asks with a half-smile, half-frown. 

 

“Nothing,” Holtz says as innocently as is possible given their current physical entanglement. “Must have had a good teacher is all.”

 

“Thank god she's so modest too, right?” Erin says with a smile as she leans down to kiss the blonde again. 

 

“If you think there's some behaviour there that needs to be rectified, I encourage you to do so Doctor Gilbert,” Holtz says, nipping Erin's lip with her teeth as she pulls away. “I'm an  _ excellent _ student.”

 

“Maybe later,” Erin says absentmindedly as she looks down to Jillian's body, distracted by the way her ribcage spreads wide as she moves beneath Erin's hold. “I'm a little busy right now.”

 

She leans down taking a nipple into her mouth again, rolling it around her tongue, braver for the confidence that comes from feeling Jillian strain against her in pleasure. Erin smiles against Holtz's chest as she hears her heart pounding wildly, relishing the way her body rolls beneath Erin's, desperate for more. 

 

She takes one of her hands from above their heads, snaking it down the blonde's body, walking a featherlight touch between her breasts and across her stomach before Erin slides  _ down, down, down, _ into a heat even wetter than before. 

 

“Jesus, Jill,” Erin says desperately to the swell of her breast at the same time as a broken moan falls from Holtz's lips, changing seamlessly to a groan when Erin fixes her lips around her nipple again. 

 

She stops playing then, as desperate to bring the blonde to a release as Jillian seems to be chasing it and it's easier this time to choose which movements to elongate and which to shorten, the pulse of Jillian's body clearer to read. 

 

She starts rolling her hips to meet Erin's hand when she slides a finger inside, as easy as water falling off her shoulders, and Erin tries to replicate the movement of Holtz's fingers before, trying to catch her clit with every thrust in. 

 

She's close, Erin can tell by the strain along the lines of her neck, the tension across her stomach, but it's not enough, not quite. 

 

Erin listens to the pull at her finger, biting her lip as she slides another in on the next thrust and Holtz moans low in response, pushing herself harder onto Erin.

 

Erin curls her fingers again as her teeth nip lightly at Jillian's neck and she snaps at once, like a bowstring pulled too tight. 

 

It's like  _ nothing _ Erin's ever felt before and doubts she will ever feel again.

 

One of Holtz's hands is still being held above them by Erin but Holtz winds their fingers together, squeezing as the first wave crashes over her body, her other free hand threading into Erin's hair, pulling Erin to her mouth for a kiss that makes Erin want to bring her own thighs together.

 

She almost loses the ability to focus, distracted as she is by the woman writhing below her,  _ just _ remembering to keep thrusting slowly, drawing Jillian's orgasm out. 

 

It's more than exquisite, Erin doesn't know an English word sufficient enough to articulate how beautiful it is feeling Holtz draw her in as the last peaks and shudders leave her body, but it's almost enough to make her want to cry. 

 

The low moan that had been reverberating through both their bodies from deep in Jillian's chest is captured and swallowed by Erin's mouth and lungs as she slows finally, and they collapse against each other in a tangle of long limbs and heated skin. 

 

“Jesus Christ,” Holtz moans, her voice low and gravelly. “You must have one  _ hell _ of a teacher.”

 

“Ok?” Erin asks a little nervously. 

 

“God, more than,” Holtz says leaning up to kiss Erin again, slow this time, deeper. “In fact, I think you're ready for part two of your training.”

 

“Part two, huh?” Erin says with a low smile, her body singing under Jillian's touch as her hands slide up Erin's sides to rest on her hips. “What does that entail?”

 

“Well,” Holtz says with a low smirk as her hands tighten, her leg sliding round Erin's as she rolls them easily, reversing their positions. “I guess you're about to find out.”

 

 

-

 

 

They fall asleep hours later in a tangle of beautifully bare and exhausted limbs. 

 

Erin wakes some time in the early morning, hours to go before they have to rise for the day and she smiles as she registers Jillian's arm around the curve of her waist, her legs still tangled between Erin's. 

 

It's strange to Erin at first, the intimacy of sharing the bed like this, and she realises it's been years since she was in this position. 

 

There haven't been many people she's shared a bed with; a few casual boyfriends here and there, and she'd always found them an annoyance. Too hot or too cold or too touchy, but this is different. 

 

Because Jillian's arm rests across her body like it was made for the space between her ribs and hip, and Erin doesn't ever want to move. 

 

She's thirsty though so she sits up slightly, trying not to jostle the blonde too much as she reaches for the bottle of water on the nightstand. 

 

She's just settling back gently against the bare skin behind her when she hears Jillian's voice low and soft in her ear as her arm tightens around Erin's waist, pulling her closer. 

 

“Come back to sleep, Er. We've got hours before the morning.” 

 

She smiles, perfectly content and warm and  _ safe _ so she relaxes back into Jillian's touch as she lets sleep take her body down. 

 

She doesn't realise until the morning that they'd forgotten to turn a light on, but the darkness doesn't bother her at all. 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay?
> 
> I hope that was a little worth the wait, I told you we'd get there eventually, didn't I?
> 
> Thank you all so much again for following this along. Please pop by [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com) and say hi if you'd like! It's mostly pictures I think are pretty but you're more than welcome to send a question my way if you have any!
> 
> x


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin and Jillian navigate around the morning after, and the women go back to close the loop in the tunnels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter with actual plot development? What's that again? ;)
> 
> This one has a bit of everything so I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> x

-

 

 

Erin wakes up to an empty bed. 

 

She doesn't realise at first, so used to a cold, empty half to roll onto when she wakes up. But then she feels her body  _ pull _ , muscles deliciously sore, and she remembers that she hadn't gone to sleep alone. 

 

She sits up, collecting the sheet around herself as she looks across the room for her companion. 

 

She's not there though, and as large as the room is Erin can see the bathroom is empty too. 

 

She feels her heart go cold in her chest, a million excuses rolling over her skin as she bites her lip and does her level best not to cry. 

 

She's just about to pull herself out of bed and into the shower when she hears the door click open and watches as Holtz sneaks in backwards, something in her arms that Erin can't quite see. 

 

Her pulse stops then, because there are only a few reasons why someone would try to sneak in and out of a room before their concubine from the night before wakes up, and Erin's wildly unsure which side of the ocean this eventuality will wash up against. 

 

Holtz is trying to move silently, her shoulders hunched as she tries to neutralise any noise her movements make and Erin's heart stops again when she catches sight of Jillian's face as she turns, paled and very much caught in the headlights. 

 

“Shit,” Holtz says quietly, trying to juggle what Erin can now see is a small handful of flowers and two takeaway coffees with a bag nestled between them. 

 

Erin's heart thumps heavily in her chest because that's a good sign at least, unless they're  _ ‘I'm sorry but we made a huge mistake’  _ flowers. 

 

“I thought I'd get back before you woke,” Holtz says, her face falling slightly as she makes her way over to Erin. 

 

Her face is carefully neutral and Erin can almost feel how hard she's trying to read the mood sitting against Erin's chest. 

 

“I wanted to bring you….” Holtz starts as she walks over to Erin's side of the bed, resting the coffee and what is presumably some kind of pastry on Erin's bedside table before she gestures to the mattress next to Erin. “May I?”

 

Erin doesn't speak, nodding softly as Holtz takes a seat on the edge of the bed. 

 

“I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed but I didn't think about what it might look like if I wasn’t here when you woke up,” Holtz says quietly, wringing her hands together. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to wake alone.”

 

“You didn't?” Erin asks quietly. 

 

“Of course not,” Holtz says with an equal softness. “Is this….I mean, last night was incredible Er.”

 

“But….?” Erin asks carefully. 

 

“No but’s,” Holtz says with a cautious smile. “Not from me at least. It was amazing, Erin. Truly. And something I've wanted for a long time.”

 

That's it then, those are Jillian's cards, laid out plain for Erin to see. 

 

She can see the question on the blonde's face, desperate for Erin to give some indication of where she is too but she knows Holtz will never push, has only ever done things at a speed Erin's comfortable with. 

 

And Erin doesn't know where to start, how to say how much last night meant to her too because it was  _ everything _ , so she smiles and tries to let her body tell Jillian what her brain doesn't know how to articulate strongly enough. 

 

She leans up to the blonde and threads her hands softly into Jillian's hair, pulled roughly up into a high ponytail twisted into a bob such was her haste to leave and be back before Erin woke. 

 

Holtz softens at her touch, moving into Erin's hand and closing her eyes as she takes a breath that moves through Erin's body too, and Erin can feel her waiting for a  _ but _ , but Erin doesn't give it. 

 

She kisses her instead. 

 

She leans into the curve of Jillian's body, bringing their lips together in a kiss that makes Erin feel weak because she puts her soul into it, sighing as Jillian responds in kind. 

 

It's like magic, skittering across the surface of her bare skin like static electricity and Erin's never felt more alive in her life. Alive but safe too. And happy. 

 

And when they break Erin finds she has the words,  _ finally _ , to tell

Jillian how she feels. 

 

“Last night meant a lot to me too,” Erin says smiling brilliantly as she runs her thumb along the line of Holtz's jaw gently. “And it's definitely something I'd like to do again. With dates in between. On a regular basis. Exclusively. Maybe as my girlfriend, if you'd want that, that is.”

 

“I want. I mean, I'd like,” Holtz says nodding with an uncharacteristic nervousness and a shake in her voice. “I'd like that a lot, Erin. A lot.”

 

“Good,” Erin says simply, sliding her hand down Jillian's arm to intertwine their fingers together. “We're on the same page then?”

 

“Yes,” Holtz says smiling a little wider, her eyes slightly watery. “I'm sorry you had to wake up alone. I'm sorry you thought for more than a second that I didn't want this because  _ god _ , I do.”

 

“Maybe you should show me?” Erin says, a wicked curve in her smile as her hands slide beneath the shoulders of Jillian's jacket, pushing it gently off her shoulders. 

 

The expression Jillian returns could light a fire for the rest of time and it warms Erin's blood beautifully as she smiles back at Erin, pulling the sheet from Erin's body. 

 

“Yeah,” Jillian says with a smirk as she reaches for Erin. “Maybe I should.”

 

 

-

 

 

The second time they mark each other, accidentally at first. 

 

Erin's mouth closes around Jillian's neck as she drives two fingers deep  _ again _ and  _ again _ and  _ again _ , her teeth sinking in hard enough to leave a blemish that stays for days when she comes apart completely and fully around Jillian's fingers. 

 

It's not one sided either, Holtz dragging four parallel lines down the length of Erin's back as she pulls them together, pulls Erin closer and harder onto her hand as Erin sits atop Jillian's hips. 

 

And later against the soft skin of Erin's throat as she rides Erin to her own release, bent low over her, their bodies flush together without so much as breath between them. 

 

She's not sure if Abby and Patty know more than they've given them credit for or if they're simply conscious of Erin's need to rest, but it's late in the morning when they call, finding Erin and Jillian freshly showered (together, not that the others know yet) sitting in bed finishing off the pastries Holtz had brought back earlier. 

 

“How are you feeling?” Abby asks as they walk in, taking a seat on the couch next to the bed as Erin and Holtz turn to face them. 

 

“Surprisingly, ok,” Erin says honestly as she looks to the others, conscious of Holtz's warm thigh bumping gently against her own. 

 

The gesture is subtle, not enough for the others to notice but enough for Erin to read  _ it's ok, I'm here _ from it. 

 

“You sure? Patty asks seriously, “You need us to call a doctor you just say the word, ok girl?”

 

“Thanks Patty,” Erin says warmly, smiling at the other woman as Abby asks Holtzmann a quiet question to her right. 

 

They speak in hushed tones for a moment while Patty recounts the additional reading she had done on the site last night, before Abby finally turns to Erin. 

 

“So, what's the plan today? You still want us to go back down there?” Abby asks carefully. 

 

“Yeah,” Erin says nodding. “I do. I uh….I've been thinking about it actually, and I don't want us to go down armed. I just want to go down like this.”

 

“Girl, are you crazy?” Patty says quickly.

 

“Hey,” Holtz says warning clear in her voice as she looks to Patty with a frown. 

 

“I'm sorry baby,” Patty says by way of apology to Erin. “I am, but there's no way I'm going down there without a way to protect myself. You saw those damn wolves.”

 

“So don't come,” Erin says neutrally. “Listen, I know it sounds mad ok but I know she's not going to hurt us. And taking weapons will only make her wary. I realise it's asking a lot so if you don't want to come, don't. But I am.”

 

“What do you think?” Patty asks as she turns to Abby. 

 

“You're really going to do this? Whether we come or not?” Abby asks Erin carefully. 

 

“Yes,” Erin says firmly. “Alone, if I have to.”

 

“You're not going anywhere alone,” Holtz says quietly next to her. “I'll be with you either way, ok?” 

 

“You're sure?” Erin asks her equally quietly.  

 

“Of course,” Holtz says with an easy smile, her palm coming to rest over Erin's knee. 

 

“Me too,” Abby says after a moment, her eyes watching Erin and Holtz's interaction with careful, keen eyes. 

 

“Alright, me too,” Patty says with a frown that turns into a smile as she looks to Erin. “But if anything happens to us I'm gonna kick your skinny white ass, ok?”

 

 

-

 

 

The four women stand at the door to the tunnels shortly after, all void of any kind of weaponry and dressed in civilian clothes at Erin's behest. 

 

Abby hands Erin the key, gesturing for her to do the honours before she and Patty take a step back as Erin brings it to the lock, Holtz staying firm at her side. 

 

The key turns easy today, much easier than it had seemed to yesterday and the day before, and Erin takes a deep breath before she turns to Holtz, her hand on the door. 

 

Holtz holds her hand out subtly, not wanting to push a gesture of affection in front of the others but giving Erin the option and Erin takes it without thinking, smiling softly at Holtz as she threads their fingers together. 

 

She's surprisingly calm. Her heart is pounding in her chest but she's not afraid, a little anxious maybe but it's not true fear and she takes one last breath before she leans forward, pushing the door open. 

 

She can see a faint glow about a hundred metres in front of them and she squeezes Jillian's hand before they walk through the doorway into the cold quiet damp of the tunnels, Patty pulling the door shut behind them. 

 

The ghost appears to advance as Erin walks the others towards her too and they finally meet somewhere in the middle. 

 

The malice and tension holding her body tight yesterday is gone and the girl looks younger in age, no longer holding the fury of her death across her shoulders. Her face is soft and quiet and the wolves sit patiently at her sides, placated by the gentility of their leader. 

 

Erin looks to Jillian at hers before she separates their hands gently. Holtz looks nervous at their division but nods, acknowledging Erin's decision as Erin steps out to address the ghost. 

 

“Thank you for coming,” Erin says softly to the girl. “I wanted to come and say goodbye, to tell you we'll make sure the people above keep their end of our deal.”

 

The girl nods, her hand coming to rest over her heart as she bows a little to Erin and Erin watches in amazement as the wolves dip their heads too.

 

“Thank you for telling me your story,” Erin adds quietly. “I'm very sorry that happened to you. We all are.”

 

The girl nods again, her eyes softening further as she appraises Erin. 

 

There's a flicker of movement at the ghost's side then and Erin's eyes follow one of the wolves as it bumps its head up into the girl's hand almost searching for her approval. The girl nods in response before the wolf does something Erin is definitely not expecting. 

 

The animal walks over to her before it sits back on its haunches, lowering its head in submission.  

 

Erin looks back to Holtz who can only shrug in response so she looks to the girl who holds out her hand, gesturing for Erin to do the same. 

 

She's almost certain the wolf won't actually be able to do anything to hurt her but it's still terrifying because the animal is enormous, so Erin tries to swallow her fear as best as she can before she holds her hand palm down and out to the wolf. 

 

It lifts its head, appearing to sniff at Erin's hand and she can feel the slightest tingle across her skin as its nose passes through Erin's hand. 

 

She smiles wide, tears brimming her eyes as she looks up to the young woman who's smiling in return. The wolf moves then, obviously upset at the lack of attention, moving to wind its massive body around Erin's legs like its domestic equivalent might do, and Erin lights up as she looks back to the others who are all watching her with incredulous expressions. 

 

“I think you've made a new friend,” Holtz says amazed as she watches Erin with a soft smile across her face. 

 

“I think so too,” Patty says equally impressed behind Holtz. 

 

Erin holds her hand out and the wolf walks up to it, licking the part of Erin's hand it would have if it were corporeal and she moves to pat its head, her hand sliding through the apparition but the wolf moving to bump her hand as though it could feel her touch regardless. 

 

It moves backwards then, away from Erin slightly so she can see it bowing its head once more to her before it joins the girl again. 

 

She bows her head again and Erin mirrors the movement before the girl gives Erin one last smile and then turns to leave. 

 

The wolves don't follow her straight away, instead bowing their heads to Erin and the others before they throw back their heads and howl. 

 

They might not be solid but their call is, and Erin feels the sound reverberate through her body. It's eerie, breaking Erin's entire body out in goosebumps and there's no way a few people in the lower levels of the hotel won't hear it but it's beautiful too. 

 

Their chorus rings out loud and strong for a full minute at least before they drop their muzzles to Erin again one last time and lope off after the girl, a few feet ahead. 

 

They meet her and the three of them move silently down the tunnel, their light fading slowly before it disappears entirely. 

 

“Well I'll never,” Patty says finally, breaking the silence as the three of them walk to her side and Erin slips her hand into Holtz's again. “Erin baby, that was incredible. Remind me of that the next time I'm stupid enough to second guess you, ok?”

 

“You ok?” Holtz asks gently, bumping her shoulder into Erin's softly. 

 

“Yeah,” Erin says filling her lungs with air that doesn't feel so cold anymore. “I think I am.”

 

 

-

 

 

The conversation with the hotel manager goes much smoother than Erin's anticipating, the man quickly agreeing to do whatever the young woman had requested in exchange for the hotel being left in peace. 

 

“Will you stay one more night?” The man asks once they conclude their business with him. “We'd love to put a meal on for you, a small token of our gratitude.”

 

Erin's not sure his offer is entirely altruistic, sure instead that he wants them here one more night to make sure his spectral problem is completely taken care of before they depart. Regardless of his motives they agree happily, loathe to turn down another night in the easy luxury the hotel offers. 

 

He invites them to a dinner later in the evening before leaving them to take care of other business with several bows of thanks. 

 

It's late afternoon before they make their way back into up to their rooms, and they're all surprised at how tired they are in spite of the relatively inactive day.

 

“I don't know about you guys but I'm beat,” Abby announces as the lift opens to their floor. “I think I'm gonna have a nap before dinner.”

 

“Me too,” Patty says with a yawn. “Oh, Holtzy come with me a sec will you baby? I want you to have a look at something on my pack just in case we have any other unexpected guests tonight.”

 

It's innocent enough but Erin's sure it's a ploy to separate them so the others can question them in light of their apparent closeness today. Holtz smiles at her as she nods at Patty and Erin knows Holtz is thinking exactly the same thing. 

 

“I'll see you soon,” Holtz says before she follows Patty down towards her room and Erin turns to Abby. 

 

“Fancy an escort back to your room?” Erin asks with a wry smile, gesturing down the hallway towards Abby's room.

 

“You read my mind,” Abby says with a smirk as she follows Erin. 

 

“So,” Abby says casually. “You two seem quite chummy today.”

 

“Is there something you'd like to ask, Abigail?” Erin says with a smirk, turning to Abby. 

 

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I just….Holtzmann seems happy,” Abby says with a shrug of her shoulders. “You both do.”

 

Erin rolls the decision to tell Abby across the palms of her hands. She wants to, really she does, but she doesn't want to risk jeopardising this renewal of their friendship that Erin never ever thought she'd get to experience again if Abby isn’t ok with this new development between her and Jillian. 

 

They'll have to tell the others eventually though, Erin thinks reasoning to herself and it's more than that too - because  beyond that, Erin's happy. And she wants to share that with her oldest friend, not hide it away like some secret in the shadows and corners of their lives. 

 

“We uh…. we kind of slept together last night,” Erin falters, suddenly nervous to hear Abby's reaction. “It's not just a one time thing, if you're worried about that. It's something I've thought about for a long time. Something we  _ both _ had thought about for a long time. And I think we're together. No, I  _ know _ we're together.”

 

Abby's silent, watching Erin with a slightly curious look as though waiting for Erin to finish completely before she smiles widely.

 

“It's….I mean is it ok?” Erin asks nervously. “You're ok with it?”

 

“Of course I am. I'm happy for you, Er,” Abby says, her face softening as she stops before turning to Erin. “Really, really happy. She's a wonderful person. I think you guys will make each other really happy.”

 

“Yeah,” Erin says nodding as she sighs in relief. “I think so too.”

 

Just like that it's done, the weight is lifted and Erin feels  _ free _ in the light of her best friends acceptance. 

 

“Hey,” Abby says turning to Erin again. “Things are different now, ok? Don't ever feel like you can't tell me anything. I've missed it. I've missed you, Er.”

 

“I missed you too,” Erin says softening as she takes Abby's hand in her own. 

 

“Now, I think I can find my way from here,” Abby says with a smile as she looks to their hands. “Go back and see your girl.”

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end, one full chapter and then a shorter one to close everything off and then we're done, team! 
> 
> I'll have chapter nine up in a day or so but until then if you'd like to say hi swing past my [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com) or feel free to send an ask my way too!
> 
> x


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin and Jillian debrief post interrogation, and the ladies prepare for their last night away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, we're so close to the finish now!
> 
> This chapter contains equal amounts of sweetness and a bit of, um.... _warmth_ as we near the finish line so I hope you all enjoy. 
> 
> x

-

 

 

Jillian is sitting cross legged on the edge of their bed when Erin pushes through the door to their room, looking up to Erin with a soft grin. 

 

“How was your interrogation?” Holtz asks with a smirk. 

 

“Suitably painless actually,” Erin says as she shuts the door gently, leaning against it as she watches Holtz. “You?”

 

It's amazing how much her body wants to cross the distance between them already, her hands itching to move closer but she waits, enjoying the draw now she knows she can  _ touch _ . 

 

“Same,” Holtz says nodding with a slight frown across her forehead. “I told Patty, I hope that's ok? I know we didn't talk about it but she can always tell when I'm lying so I thought it was better to tell the truth.”

 

“I told Abby too,” Erin says simply with a soft smile. 

 

“You did?” Holtz asks, sounding a little surprised. 

 

“Yeah,” Erin says, her smile widening as she takes the few steps to stand in front of Holtz on the edge of the bed. “That ok?”

 

“Yes,” Holtz says as she reaches for Erin, her hands sliding over the curve of her hips drawing her in closer. “Very ok.”

 

“That mean you haven't changed your mind and want to run as fast as you can away from me?” Erin asks, only half-joking. 

 

“Never,” Holtz says heavily, tugging Erin down to her. She rolls, flipping them seamlessly to settle above Erin, sliding one leg between hers. 

 

“Never, never, never,” Holtz says as she leans down to kiss Erin, sliding her tongue into Erin's mouth as the last syllable drops from it. 

 

The kiss is heavy, beautifully reassuring without being suffocating and it breathes life into Erin, filling the corners of her soul with light and hope. 

 

They break apart and Erin sighs deeply, moving Jillian's body with the motion and the blonde looks down at her with something in her eyes that looks a little bit like  _ forever _ . 

 

“I want nothing more than to tear all of your clothes off and have my way with you over every inch of this room, but I'm exhausted,” Holtz admits with a little laugh as she leans down on an elbow above Erin. “What time's dinner?”

 

“We've got hours yet,” Erin says as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind Jillian's ear, shivering in anticipation in spite of the tiredness weighing her limbs down. “Enough to sleep.”

 

“Sleep? Seems like an  _ awful _ waste of a hotel room,” Holtz says with a slightly dramatic sigh. 

 

“Do you really think you could keep your eyes open long enough to do anything else?” Erin asks with a cocked eyebrow. 

 

“No,” Holtz says reluctantly as she scowls lightly. 

 

“So sleep,” Erin says with a smile. “And then we can see to that plan of yours. Every surface, you said?”

 

“Every single one,” Holtz says with a spark in her eye before she leans down to kiss Erin, a promise and teaser in one. 

 

Erin runs her hands down the length of Jillian's back as she settles between her legs, sighing happily at the comforting weight before Holtz rolls off to the side. 

 

She stands up briefly, kicking off her pants and stripping down to a tee and underwear before crawling beneath the blankets, waiting for Erin to do the same which she does before sliding in next to Holtz, laying with her head on Jillian's chest. 

 

She slips her leg between Holtz's and brings her palm to rest on the swell of the blonde's breast, smiling at the almost silent rumble of what she thinks is contentment that issues from the body beneath her. 

 

“No fair. Maybe you should have left some more clothes on,” Holtz says with a grumble. 

 

“Oh,” Erin says with mock seriousness as she makes to move. “Should I go put more on?”

 

“Don't you dare,” Holtz says, holding Erin to her as she tries to wriggle away, highly unconvincingly. 

 

Erin laughs quietly before she settles against Jillian's warmth again, counting the spaces between her heartbeats as they still. Holtz starts running her fingers through Erin's hair softly and Erin groans happily before she feels Jillian's chest expand beneath her. 

 

“I'm proud of you, you know,” Holtz says quietly. “About today. For not standing down. And for how you handled yourself in the tunnels. That was damn brave, Er.”

 

“Really?” Erin asks softly, lifting her head to look at Holtz. 

 

“Really,” Holtz says smiling back at her. “Really brave. And really proud. You should be proud of yourself, too.”

 

“Why?” Erin asks a little curious. 

 

“You're kidding, right?” Holtz says incredulously. “You stood up to a ghost and the biggest wolf I've ever seen in my entire life.”

 

“It was a ghost wolf though,” Erin says a little shyly. “It's not like it could really bite me.”

 

“Did you know that for sure when you stuck your hand out?” Holtz asks skeptically. 

 

“No,” Erin replies a little sheepishly. 

 

“Well then,” Holtz says with an air of finality. “You win the bravery award. And the bad-ass award. And the best looking too, come to that….”

 

“I  _ definitely _ don't win that,” Erin says with a snort as she drops her head down again. 

 

“Hush, Gilbert,” Jillian says as she leans down to kiss Erin again. “Take a compliment for once, will you.”

 

“I will if you will,” Erin says with a smirk as she nips Holtz's bottom lip when she pulls away. “Thank you for today. For standing next to me. For supporting me. It was nice, not to feel alone for a change.”

 

“Always, Erin. I'll always be there for you,” Holtz says, pulling Erin closer to her again. “I don't want you to ever feel alone again.”

 

“I don't think I will,” Erin says quietly exhaling a breath that takes the last ounce of pain from her soul, before she closes her eyes and lets sleep overcome them. 

 

 

-

 

 

They wake to a knocking on the door a few hours later, Abby yawning widely as she tells them dinner will be in a few hours. 

 

“What's the dress code?” Erin asks rubbing her eyes as she sits up on bed, looking to Holtz and Abby at the door. 

 

“I guess whatever you have that's the nicest?” Abby says, shrugging before she nods a sleepy farewell. “See you in a bit.” 

 

Holtz leans against the door, a mirror of Erin a few hours earlier as she smiles at Erin, half-asleep sitting up in bed. 

 

“What?” Erin asks around a yawn, frowning at Jillian's smile. 

 

“Nothing,” Holtz says shrugging. “You look pretty when you're sleepy.”

 

Erin blushes a little, dropping her head as Holtz walks back over to the bed. 

 

“Damn shame we slept so long,” Holtz says as she crawls up the length of the bed on all fours towards Erin. 

 

“Tell me about it,” Erin says, taking Holtz's cheek in the palm of her hand, bringing her in for a long kiss. 

 

“We have….” Holtz starts before Erin cuts her off with another kiss. 

 

“We  _ don't _ ,” Erin says with a reluctance smile. “I don't want to rush, do you?”

 

“No,” Holtz says with a frown. “I don't. I want to take my time.”

 

“Lucky we've got all night ahead of us then, huh?” Erin says with a smirk before she backs away and rolls off the bed. 

 

“Why do we have to go to dinner?” Holtz asks grumpily, flopping on her back dramatically. 

 

“Come on,” Erin says as she pauses at the bathroom door. “It'll be fun. I'm looking forward to getting dressed up for you.”

 

“You are?” Holtz says, a playful smile in her eyes as she looks to Erin. 

 

“Of course I am,” Erin says with an equally playful smirk. “I even packed a nice dress. Besides, won't it be that much better knowing you get to take it all off later?”

 

“ _ Erin _ ,” Holtz says heavily as she gives Erin a look heavy with desire. 

 

“What?” Erin says innocently, her smile less so. 

 

She spins in the doorway before Holtz can answer, her blood warming at the exasperated sigh that comes from the main room when she clicks the door shut. 

 

She turns the water in the massive shower on before she starts stripping the few clothes she still has on, off. 

 

She walks over to the mirror while she waits for the water to warm, appraising her war wounds, smiling when she sees that the nail marks on her back have faded a little but the bruises across her neck haven't. 

 

She touches them almost reverently, shivering in spite of the warmth of the room as she remembers them being etched into her skin. 

 

Jillian's mouth is strong, like her hands and her tongue and the curve of her back before she  _ snaps _ and Erin can feel herself growing warmer and warmer before she even steps under the stream of water. 

 

It's tempting, the idea of sliding her hand between her thighs and letting her moans carry to bring Jillian to her like a siren's call, but she knows they really have to get ready so she bites her lip instead and starts to dream of how they might spend the evening once they can escape back to their room. 

 

She lathers Jillian's body wash over her arms, letting it run down her stomach before rinsing off reasonably quickly and stepping out of the shower to stand in front of the mirror again, this time wrapped in her towel. 

 

The dress she has with her isn't exactly scandalous but there's no way she'll get away without covering her neck in makeup to hide the marks that sit there, more for the sake of the polite company that might join them than anything else.

 

Because Erin's not sure what changed exactly but she's not embarrassed of them in the slightest herself, proud even to wear them across the sweep of her throat because they mark her as  _ someone's _ as well as her own. 

 

**Jillian's** . 

 

And Erin doesn't think anything in the world has ever given her as much joy as that does. 

 

She re-positions her towel around herself, pulling her hair in a bun on top of her head before she hears a gentle knock on the door. 

 

Jillian's standing there when she pulls it open, her hand over her eyes in little more than a bra and underwear, and Erin can't help but cock a hip and smile. 

 

“What are you doing?” Erin asks with a smile in her voice as she tries to pull Jillian's hand away from her face. 

 

“Not looking at you,” Holtz says in reply. 

 

“Yes, I gathered that much,” Erin says with a laugh. “Why?”

 

“Because I know you're probably only wearing a towel and if I see you that'll be the end of it,” Holtz says, steadfastly screwing her eyes shut beneath her hand.

 

“Fine,” Erin says with a shrug as she drops her hand, letting Jillian's go. “Your loss.”

 

Holtz groans as she slowly removes her own hand, her mouth curled in a frown. 

 

“That bad, huh?” Erin asks with a raised eyebrow. 

 

“Yes,” Holtz says dropping her hands to her sides dramatically. “ _ Terrible _ .”

 

Erin watches then as something twists across Jillian's shoulders, winding its way down her arms and around her wrists which come up slowly to rest on Erin's hips before they steer her gently back into the bathroom towards the sink, pinning her against it when her ass hits the marble softly. 

 

“ _ Jill _ ,” Erin husks low in warning as Holtz drops her hands to the top of Erin's thighs where the towel ends before dragging them up her legs, bringing the towel with it. 

 

She leans in, her breath hot against Erin's throat, and it's getting harder and harder to remember why this isn't the only thing they had planned for the evening. 

 

“Yes, Erin?” Holtz whispers ever so innocently into Erin's ear before her teeth nip at Erin's lobe and tug. 

 

“You know what, never fucking mind,” Erin growls as she pulls Jillian to her, crashing their lips together. 

 

Holtz moves quick, lifting Erin up onto the sink so she can wrap her legs around the blonde's waist bringing them closer, the towel  _ just _ preserving Erin's modesty. 

 

Her hands are fast too, sliding along the outside of Erin's thighs beneath the towel before they dip and cup her ass, bringing Erin's core into contact with Holtz's waist and Erin gasps. 

 

Holtz leaves one hand holding Erin close to her as the other winds up into Erin's hair as her tongue slides into Erin's mouth and Erin moans low, rumbling against Jillian like the wolves below them. 

 

Jillian's hand slides around, her thumb sweeping Erin's inner thigh and Erin shifts into it, desperate for her to hurry up and touch when there's a pounding on the door. 

 

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Holtz growls against Erin's neck as Erin's head falls back in exasperation. 

 

“What?!” They both yell when the knocking doesn't cease and Patty’s voice calls back to them. 

 

“One of you horn-dogs had better open this damn door or I'm going to get a key,” Patty yells back, the knocking ceasing at the sound of her voice. 

 

Erin smiles, her palm against Jillian's neck as they extricate themselves slightly from around and between each other's bodies. 

 

Holtz stomps across the room, not bothering to put a scrap of clothing back on as she walks to the door in her underwear, her hair loose down around her shoulders as a result of Erin's wandering fingers. 

 

“Patty,” Holtz says with a bite as she yanks the door open. “I love you but I'm going to kill you.”

 

“Good lord,” Patty says with a scowl as she looks over Holtz. “This is exactly why I'm here, because Abby didn't think you'd be ready on time without a hurry up. Put some damn clothes on would you? Where's Erin? Why isn't she keeping your lust-crazy ass to time?”

 

Erin chooses that moment to poke her head out of the bathroom door, the white of her towel showcasing the blush on her shoulders and cheeks brilliantly. 

 

“Oh my god,” Patty says rolling her eyes as she makes a quick sign of the cross over her chest. “Look, you do the nasty all you like on your own time but not when I'm waiting for my damn five star dinner, ok?”

 

“Sorry Patty,” Erin says sheepishly, not really sorry in the slightest. 

 

“Yeah right,” Patty says with a laugh. “I can see those hickeys from here, girl. Anyway, look haul your skinny behinds would you? I'm hungry.”

 

“Yes sir,” Holtz says with a solemn nod before Patty gives her a light smack on the arm, leaving them to it. 

 

As soon as the door shuts Holtz makes a beeline for Erin but Erin holds her hand up before Holtz can make contact with any part of her bare skin. 

 

“Uh-uh,” Erin says with a frown. “We  _ really _ don't have time now.”

 

“I can be quick,” Holtz says with a smirk, taking Erin's hand in her own as she presses kisses to Erin's knuckles before taking one of Erin's fingers into her mouth. 

 

She's not sure why it's such a turn on but it  _ definitely _ is, her knees going slightly weak as she leans against the sink top when Jillian's tongue swirls around her fingers and she sucks,  **hard** . 

 

It takes every ounce of willpower to verbalise the pause she needs Holtz to take because they really are going to be late if she doesn't stop this now. 

 

“But I don't want to be quick,” Erin says shaking the haze out of her head. 

 

“I know,” Holtz says as she releases Erin's finger. “Me neither, I just want you. Really badly.”

 

“So do I,” Erin says heavily. “But I'll be here with you later. And we'll have all night then.”

 

“All night?” Holtz asks before she bites her lip. 

 

“All night,” Erin says heavily in affirmation. 

 

“You've got yourself a deal then, Gilbert,” Holtz says with a kiss to her cheek before she moves back to turn the shower on. 

 

 

-

 

 

The practicalities of getting ready together almost trip Erin up again because she has to watch open-mouthed as Holtz pulls a very smart pair of skin tight black cropped dress pants and an oversized white shirt from her bag, both items Erin's never seen before.

 

“Where'd they come from,” Erin says choking on her words slightly. 

 

“Home,” Holtz says with a sly grin. “Patty gave me the heads up to pack something a little nicer just in case. You like?”

 

“Like?” Erin asks, mouth agape as she watches Holtz sit on the edge of the bed wrapped only in a towel with a pair of heart stopping black underwear underneath.

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says, looking to her with a dangerous grin before she starts pulling the pants up her leg, making a show of it. “You like?”

 

Erin doesn't say anything, just walks across the room to kiss Holtz hard and Holtz smiles against her lips as they kiss. 

 

“You're doing this on purpose,” Erin growls when they part. 

 

“Of course I am,” Holtz says with a smirk as she stands up, jumping into the pants, tugging them the last few inches up. 

 

Well, Erin thinks as she walks over to where her dress is hanging up. Two can play at that game. 

 

It's not super formal but it is a lovely dress, black knee length and slightly loose with thin straps that show her collarbones off beautifully. 

 

Erin can feel Holtz's eye on her as she runs her hand down the fabric before picking it up and carrying it to the bathroom. 

 

“You're not going to get changed in here?” Holtz asks slightly disappointed as she readjusts her own towel between her breasts. 

 

“Nope,” Erin says easily. “I want it to be a surprise.”

 

“Mean,” Holtz says with a scowl before she watches Erin walk into the bathroom. 

 

It's not really necessary because she could probably do what she wants to do without getting changed in a different room, and it's a terrible idea that she shouldn't be entertaining anyway, but Jillian's gaze searing a mark between her shoulders as she closes the door makes her brave. 

 

She readjusts her towel as she does her makeup, covering the bruises on her neck as best she can before deciding to leave her hair in a messy up-do and turning back to the dress hanging off the back of the door. She drops her towel as she slides it off the hanger and pulls it on, careful not to touch her make up. 

 

The straps don't allow for a bra, Jillian will notice that right away, but Erin hopes it'll take her a little longer to realise there's really nothing else under her dress. The fabric is thick enough that no one else will realise, the only give away will be the lack of a line where her underwear should be if someone were to put a hand to her skin. 

 

And it's risky, yes, but this whole adventure away from the city feels a little like a dream, and Erin knows how quickly fate can change so she's not going to waste a second of the heat Jillian has under her skin for her. 

 

She puts the finishing touches on her outfit before pushing back through the door into their room where Holtz is sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her, collar turned high and her hair down around her shoulders. 

 

“Wow,” Holtz says as Erin walks towards her with a slightly slack jaw. “Like really.  _ Wow _ .”

 

“You scrub up pretty damn good yourself,” Erin says as she walks over to wind her fingers into long blonde curls, her heart leaping to the tips of her fingers. 

 

“Shall we go?”

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading along and leaving such lovely comments, I honestly can't tell you how much I appreciate it.
> 
> I hope you'll stick around to see how this ends - please feel free to come say hi or send any questions my way on  
> [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com), too. 
> 
> x


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our time at the hotel comes to an end, and Erin finds closure with her new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's us everyone, we're all done!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this last foray into this world. See you on the other side.
> 
> x

-

 

 

Dinner is lovely but Erin can barely stop squirming in her seat because running through her head on a constant loop is _Jillian, Jillian, Jillian_ , definitely not helped by the blonde's hand on her knee beneath the table, a warm solid reminder of what they could be doing instead.

 

She behaves herself, mostly, her fingers drawing little love notes on the inside of Erin's bare thigh but staying low by her knee.

 

Until dessert arrives that is.

 

Erin excuses herself to go to the bathroom and Holtz stands to let her past, her hand brushing past Erin's ass lightly as she moves and Erin watches as she frowns, registering the lack of _something_ before her eyes go wide and she looks to Erin a little blankly.

 

Erin turns so only Jillian can see her face and she winks, smiling wickedly before she leaves.

 

“Everything ok?” Erin hears Patty ask Holtz once she's a few feet away, not hearing the response beyond a slightly strangled yes.

 

Honestly the rest of the meal is a blur, because all Erin can think of is the way Holtz curves around her body perfectly when she comes back, the only lingering thought the heat of Jillian’s fingers on her thighs and the warmth of her breath at Erin's neck.

 

She becomes bolder the more the evening lengthens, her fingers creeping higher and higher until Erin finally snaps watching Jillian draw cream off her spoon with a ridiculously heated smirk.

 

“Thank you so much for dinner,” Erin says to the hotel manager, frowning at Jillian. “It really wasn't necessary.”

 

“Nonsense,” the man says kindly. “I can't thank you enough, really. I had no idea what we were going to do.”

 

“All part of the job,” Patty says as she finishes her own dessert. “As great as this has been though, I think I might need to hit the hay soon.”

 

“Yeah,” Holtz says as she rests her spoon on the edge of her plate. “Us too. I've got a date with those six hundred thread count sheets before we go back to the real world.”

 

“Of course,” He says nodding. “Of course, you must be exhausted. Please, enjoy the rest of your evening. I'll come down to see you off in the morning.”

 

Erin can hardly get them to the room fast enough after they say goodbye, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible as Holtz slides her hand down Erin's arm in the lift, taking a solid handful of Erin's ass when her fingers creep lower and lower.

 

She all but drags the blonde away from Abby and Patty when the lift doors finally open, trying to stop her hands from shaking as she unlocks the door to their room, Jillian's hands sliding around her middle as she moves behind her.

 

“That's not fair,” Erin says with a gasp as she finally gets the door open, Jillian's mouth hot on her neck.

 

“Oh and forgoing underwear at dinner, that's par for the course is it?” Holtz says and Erin can feel her smiling against the skin.

 

“It was for you,” Erin says as she melts under the blonde's touch. “It was all for you. I wanted you to want me more.”

 

“Well it worked,” Holtz says as her teeth nip. “I didn't think it was possible to want you more, but it worked. Now what do you say you let me take that dress off and make good on my promise, hmmm?”

 

 

-

 

 

Erin wonders if this will ever get old.

 

If the electricity that jumps between their bodies will ever soften and fade.

 

She doesn't think so.

 

Because it feels like they're connected to the pulse of the universe like this and Erin doesn't think that light will ever dim.

 

Holtz walks her into the room, her hands on Erin's hips stroking over the curve of the bone, her lips on the nape of Erin's neck. They near the bed and Erin winds her hand around and into Jillian's, turning her body and bringing their lips close together so she can whisper against them.

 

“I don't think I've ever wanted something more than I want you right now,” Erin breathes and Jillian's body shivers in response.

 

“Me either,” Holtz moans as she pulls Erin _closer, closer, closer_. “Can I have you?”

 

“Yes,” Erin exhales deep, her body creaking with the effort. “You can have it all.”

 

 

-

 

 

Jillian drops her dress and with it falls the last inch of pretence that this isn't what they both want for the rest of their lives, what they have both wanted from the moment they first laid eyes on each other.

 

Jillian's lips grace the warmth of her neck as Erin stands at the foot of their bed, bare but for the blonde's hands on her skin.

 

And she should feel naked, or shy, but she feels like her whole body is alight with a blue flame and she couldn't bear to have an inch or stitch between the two of them.

 

Jillian's remaining clothing then is a problem and Erin starts plucking at the buttons while Jillian's lips cover as much ground as they can while they're both still standing.

 

Erin's hands curl around the last button and the shirt comes open revealing miles of milk-white skin and nothing else.

 

“ _Jill_ ,” Erin breathes, a half-moan as her palm sweeps the smooth line of her stomach.

 

“Great minds, huh?” The blonde says with a smile. “Shame you only just realised.”

 

“You're telling me?” Erin says, her eyes hot on Jillian's stomach before they move up over the swell of breast to more sensitive skin.

 

Erin opts to leave the shirt on for now, dragging Jillian's pants down her legs instead as she sinks to her knees before running her nails up the inside of Jillian's thighs as she stands.

 

As soon as she comes level Holtz takes her by the hips and walks a step backwards and Erin loses her breath as she falls with a gasp into the softness of the bed beneath them before Jillian crawls on top of her, shirt undone and hair wild.

 

“You look like something out of a fantasy, you know?” Erin says as she threads her fingers through Jillian's hair.

 

“You think you don't?” Holtz says as she pauses over Erin, her hand smoothing over the line of Erin's jaw before she leans down and presses a gentle, _achingly_ heavy kiss to her lips.

 

“I guess that makes us the lucky ones,” Erin says with a soft smile as she twirls a lock of blonde hair around her finger.

 

“I don't think lucky begins to cover it, do you?” Jillian says quietly.

 

“No,” Erin says equally gently. “Not an inch.”

 

They kiss again and Erin can feel Jillian's heartbeat through her back as she slides between Erin's legs and her hands bring them close, close, _closer_.

 

Erin pushes the shirt from Jillian's shoulders finally, wanting nothing but skin on skin and then she starts to move down Erin's body again. She kisses as she goes and Erin loses the concept of time, only measuring things in the spaces that fall between their moans and the way the earth turns beneath their bed.

 

It's quieter than last time, the frantic rush to touch gone leaving patience and devastatingly beautiful lust in its wake and Jillian delivers on her promise in the hours before dawn, taking Erin across every inch of the sprawling hotel room.

 

They move from the bed to the couch and Jillian drops to her knees between Erin's thighs and tastes her until Erin's heels dig into her back and her hands tighten in blonde hair, and they have to gasp to catch their breath.

 

Erin takes over while Jillian pauses, dragging them onto a rug softer than Erin's linen at home as she dips low down Jillian's body and tastes her too, breathing in the quiet moans and _pushing, pushing, pushing,_ until Jillian gives in and grows **loud**.

 

The next round is a game and they see how much they can take before they can't hold back the tide anymore and crash together, a beautiful twist of limbs and entwined fingers and kisses that never, ever stop.

 

 

-

 

 

They drift sometime in the very early morning when their bodies finally fatigue to the point of collapse and they sink into feather and cotton. Erin sighs as Jillian's hand slips round her waist and her breath blows gently at her shoulder and eventually, they sleep.

 

Erin doesn't dream of sharp claws and pale green skin tonight either, she dreams of soft words and joint souls and sunrises instead.

 

 

-

 

 

Erin wakes just before six after a few hours of sleep, looking around for whatever palpable thing she feels has woken her.

 

It's not Jillian, beautiful in her slumber next to her, so she moves out of bed carefully, pulling Jillian's oversized shirt over her skin now scattered with gooseflesh.

 

The room is empty but the balcony seems to be calling to her so she pads quietly to the door before pulling it open silently and slipping outside.

 

The room looks over a large garden in the middle of the hotel, a gentle rolling slope with trees and hedges trimming the edge, completely hidden from the outside world.

 

The air is cool but not cold and Erin takes a deep breath in, about to turn inside when something at the edge of the grass catches her attention.

 

It's light, almost invisible, but Erin can see it _just_ , her eyes trained to find the glow where others fail.

 

The girl is standing beneath a tree, her hand gentle on the trunk, and it's almost too far to make out but Erin thinks she can see her smiling gently. Erin narrows her eyes and follows the girl's gaze and sees the two wolves chasing each other, nipping at the heels of the other as they play in the oval of the garden.

 

From here they look like nothing more than puppies and the girl a young woman unburdened with anything beyond the care of her lupine companions, and Erin can't help smile herself.

 

The girl looks up, sensing Erin's eyes on her and she raises a hand to Erin in greeting before putting her hand to her mouth and calling the wolves to her.

 

The three of them look up to Erin, eternally bound, and the girl smiles as they disappear before Erin's eyes.

 

She pads back to bed silently, slips beneath the sheets and into Jillian's arms and for the first time in her life feels like she's found home, the lament of wolves in the deep distance singing her back to sleep.

 

 

-

 

 

They wake again hours later, Erin smiling at Jillian's mussed hair, her body covered in the story of their night together and the one before it.

 

They pack up, hands never moving far from each other as they bid the hotel manager farewell and Erin tucks the key he hands her deep in her pocket, vowing to keep it safe and far, _far_ away. For always.  

 

They walk out, bags in hand into the light of the morning and Erin’s not sure if she dreamed her visit last night or not, but they leave across the garden and Erin makes out a massive paw-print in the dirt to the side of a small flower bush, and she smiles.

 

“What?” Jillian asks her, her fingers finding the space between Erin's perfectly.

 

“Nothing,” Erin says as she squeezes Jillian's hand and burns the print to memory, never wanting to forget. “Just a trick of the light, I think.”

 

 

-

 

 

She doesn't dream of the woman that followed her nightmares and taunted her for years ever again, the howls of wolves that bowed at her feet guarding the shadows at the foot of her bed, and Jillian asleep beside her, instead.

 

 

 

-

 

 

**End**.

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I feel a bit sad now this is all over! I just wanted to thank each and every one of you wonderful, lovely people for reading and leaving kudos and commenting. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the support - it's been huge!
> 
> I've got a few other pieces on the go so you'll see me again soon - probably in a few days with one of the last chapters of the smut fic - but until then come by [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com) and say hi or send any questions my way.
> 
> Thank you all so much again!
> 
> xx


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